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Allenheads is situated within a designated area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) at 1350 feet, Allenheads in Northumberland is England's highest village. It is just over an hour's drive from the nearest cities of Newcastle upon Tyne, Durham, Sunderland, Middlesborough and Carlisle, but it feels a world apart: a cluster of stone buildings amidst woodland beside the Allen river within an amphitheatre of the bleak North Pennine hills.

Its rural appearance belies its lead mining past. In the 19th century the valley was filled with smoke and activity, but cheap foreign imports triggered the exodus of hundreds of people in the 20th century. Farming, quarrying, game keeping and estate management were the remaining occupations.

Lately, cottage industry entrepreneurs, computer-centred professionals and commuters have come live here. Tourism has increased with the routing of the C2C cycle way through the village.

The foot and mouth epidemic was a painful setback to the story of renewal forcing the local post office to close. In its quiet way Allenheads is at the confluence the social, ecological and economic turbulence affecting rural Britain.

The population of around 200 was swelled by a baby boom as young families settled here in the 1990's. As in many isolated places, the community is both close-knit and open-armed. There is lively welcoming pub (the Allenheads Inn), a good café (the Hemmel), a heritage centre, a nature trail and an arts and education centre, The Old School House.

Allenheads Contemporary Arts operates from this long low Victorian building astride the northern side of the village, built on a scale to serve a catchment of around 1000 people.

Today it provides two arts/educational spaces in what were the boys' and girls' classrooms, a digital edit suite, sleeping accommodation for eight and a home for Alan Smith, Helen Ratcliffe and their two children in the former head teacher's quarters.

Allenheads Contemporary Arts