Our hidden church gems - Northumberland's St Andrews, Shotley, comes in at number 5

Good to see the Telegraph recognise the wonderful St Andrews in Shotley as one of the 10 best "hidden" churches. Coming in at Number 5, is the wonderful old Anglican church standing in an isolated position at a height of 960 feet on Greymare Hill at the very southern most point in the county. It is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building, and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. I have yet to visit but am much looking forward.

St. Andrew’s offers panoramic views for miles around. The church itself, built in 1769, is in a simple cruciform style.
In the churchyard, to the northeast of the church, is the Hopper Mausoleum, which is a Grade I listed building, built in 1752, with beautiful statues. Also in the churchyard are three Grade II listed buildings - these are a hearse house, the Chatt headstone, and the Gibson headstone.

Egger visit

Just back from a marathon morning in West Hexham and then visiting Egger - to get a better understanding of how the company is faring.

Had a good chat with Bob Livesey and heard about recent investments at the factory, how they are weathering the recession and got a better understanding of their plans for environmental improvements and noise reduction . We also talked about the impact on their raw material costs of the Government’s approach to wood fired biomass power stations. A great idea in principle, but which is now the author of a lot of unforeseen consequences - some of which look likely to be harmful to the environment.

Then went off to Snods Edge and Shotley Bridge where the Martells kindly organised a party for the locals to come and grill me on a variety of topics; a significant number came from all over South Tynedale - a good evening was had by all.