page_title: Kilham, Northumberland
section_title: Kilham
hierarchical_section_title: Kilham, Northumberland / Landmarks / Kilham
caption_attribution_description: English: Bowmont Water. At the point where the Kilham burn joins the Bowmont Water. Follow Bowmont Water Upstream 165340 Follow Kilham Burn 165346 Move Downstream 165374
context_page_description: Kilham is a hamlet and civil parish in the English county of Northumberland, located 8.0 miles west of Wooler, 12.0 miles east of Kelso, 17.0 miles south west of Berwick upon Tweed and 38.9 miles north west of Morpeth. It lies on the northern edge of the Northumberland National Park in Bowmont Valley Northumberland]. The hamlet, which consists of a small group of agricultural dwellings, is overlooked by Kilham Hill and the northern limits of the Cheviot Hills. The parish had a population of 131 in 2001, and includes the hamlets of Howtel and Pawston, along with the former upland township of Coldsmouth and Thompson's Walls. falling to less than 100 at the 2011 Census. Details are now included in the parish of Branxton
  Situated on the border with Scotland, Kilham had a turbulent history. It suffered from repeated Scottish incursions, and was often destroyed and laid waste. The situation was considered serious enough for a report to be made to the Privy Council of England, about a raid in 1597 which had resulted in the death of several villagers.
context_section_description: Many of the buildings in Kilham date back to the 19th century, and the stone construction is typical of Northumbrian farms in the 1850s. Locally quarried dark igneous andesite and granite were mainly used, although sandstone was brought in from the east for higher status buildings. Kilham House was transformed from a traditional farmhouse into a small country house by a substantial extension built in 1926.  The appearance was enhanced by the use of identical 12-pane windows throughout.
  The old mill pond above the hamlet has been restored by the Northumberland National Park Authority.  Blackbirds, wrens and thrushes are often seen in the hedge banks along the lane to Longknowe, and the roadside verges contain a colourful variety of flowering plants, including dog roses, St John's wort, stitchwort and bloody cranesbill.  Nearby is a sheepwash, where Kilham's shepherds increased the value of the fleeces by washing their sheep's wool before it was clipped.
  On the slopes of Kilham Hill are the remains of a shieling, which provided shelter for shepherds watching over the sheep as they grazed.  In summer the hillside is a profusion of purple and blue as wild thyme, cross-leaved heath and harebells come into bloom; foxgloves have colonised the stony ground.  A stone cairn crowns the summit, and was found to conceal a Bronze Age cist containing burnt bones.  From the summit, there are views over the Milfield Plain, Glendale and the Till Valley, and to Eildon Hill, Yeavering Bell and the Cheviot Hills.  Buzzards, kestrels, lapwings and curlews are common, while bilberry, tormentil and heath bedstraw carpet the soil.
  North of the hamlet, the trackbed of the former Alnwick and Cornhill Railway forms part of a walk along the Bowmont Water, where kingfishers, grey herons, oystercatchers and mallards can be seen.  Sedge warblers are regular visitors in summer, and short-eared owls hunt in the nearby tree plantation. On the northern bank of the river, Reedsford Farm has a 17th-century dovecote.
caption: The Bowmont Water rises in the Cheviot Hills above Yetholm in the Scottish Borders, and flows into the River Glen at Kirknewton.
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