During the economic depression of the 1930s Alston was a particularly distressed area. The lead was almost completely worked out and there was no industry to replace it.

Thousands of people over the years have left Alston Moor, mainly for work or the hope of a better life. The Archives have some interesting stories.

It’s hard to credit that Alston’s streets have been lit longer by gas than by electricity - - about fifty years longer, in fact; but, the gas was first lit in 1843...........

During the decade from 1820 to 1830, all the major roads around Alston were constructed by the Alston Turnpike Trust along the routes that we know today. But the bridges...

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In 1642, the north of England, as well as other parts of the country, where the old feudal order was strongest, was held by the king, and his commander in the area was Sir Philip Musgrave of Eden Hall near Penrith.