Editing Amble

{{Short description|Town and civil parish in Northumberland, England}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}

{{Infobox UK place
|static_image_name=amblesundial.jpg
|static_image_width=240px
|static_image_caption=The sundial in the town square
|country =                England
|official_name=           Amble
|coordinates = {{coord|55.3306|-1.5783|display=inline,title}}
|population =             5,860.
|population_ref =         (2021)
|unitary_england=         [[Northumberland County Council|Northumberland]]
|lieutenancy_england=     [[Northumberland]]
|civil_parish=            Amble by the Sea
|region=                  North East England
|constituency_westminster=      [[North Northumberland (UK Parliament constituency)|North Northumberland]]
|post_town=        MORPETH
|postcode_district =       NE65
|postcode_area=            NE
|dial_code=      01665
|os_grid_reference=     NU267041
}}
'''Amble''' is a town on the [[North Sea]] coast of [[Northumberland]], England, at the mouth of the [[River Coquet]]; [[Coquet Island, England|Coquet Island]] is visible from its beaches and harbour. In 2021, the parish of '''Amble by the Sea''' had a population of 5,860.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11119988&c=NE65+0HG&d=16&e=62&g=6452768&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1435238151520&enc=1|title=Parish population 2011|access-date=25 June 2015}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
There are two suggested origins of the place-name Amble. One theory suggests a [[Goidelic languages|Goidelic]] origin from ''Am Béal'', meaning "tidal inlet", and is attributed to the historical presence of Irish missionaries in the area who spoke that language despite most of the local population not doing so.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Ethnic Jostling in the North in the Sixth and Seventh Centuries AD |first=Paul L. |last=Younger |pages=70–71 |title=Ireland: Revolution and Evolution |editor1-first=John |editor1-last=Strachan |editor2-first=Alison |editor2-last=O'Malley-Younger |publisher=Peter Lang |year=2010 |isbn=978-3-03911-881-6}}</ref> An earlier theory, originating with [[Eilert Ekwall]], is an [[Old English language|Old English]] origin of ''Amma/Anna bile'', meaning "Amma's/Anna's headland".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Northumberland/Amble |title=Amble |work=Key To English Place Names|publisher=[[English Place Name Society]] |access-date=24 January 2013}}; Bethany Fox, 'The P-Celtic Place-Names of North-East England and South-East Scotland', The Heroic Age, 10 (2007), http://www.heroicage.org/issues/10/fox.html (appendix at http://www.heroicage.org/issues/10/fox-appendix.html).</ref>

There are sources indicating that the name and variants thereof – such as ''Ambell'' and ''Ambhill'' – may have been in use as long ago as 1203 AD.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Place-names of Northumberland and Durham |page=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924028042996/page/n48 5] |publisher=Cambridge University Press |first=Allen |last=Mawer |author-link=Allen Mawer |year=1920 |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028042996}}</ref> Northumberland was not recorded in the [[Domesday Book]].<ref>{{cite web |publisher=The National Archives |title=Domesday Book |url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/domesday.htm |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>

== History ==
Various urns, [[cist]]s, flint spearheads and other evidence of ancient burials were found near to Amble in the 1880s and 1890s. Some of those remains showed signs of cremation.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club |volume=14 |publisher=Berwickshire Naturalists' Club (Scotland) |year=1894 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofberwick14berw |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofberwick14berw/page/121 121]–124 |title=Amble and Hauxley |first=J. C. |last=Hodgson}}</ref>

Outcrops of coal had been found along the coastline between the River Coquet and the [[River Tyne]] at least as long ago as the reign of [[Elizabeth I]], when unsuccessful attempts had been made to extract and transport it in an economic manner. A failed proposal to use Amble as a port for the shipment of locally sourced coal and salt is recorded in 1618,<ref name="Nef"/> although this failure did not discourage William Hewitt{{efn|Sir William Hewitt's name in relation to this land transfer is also recorded as ''Hewytt''.<ref>{{cite book |title=The English Law Reports, Volume 4 |volume=151 |chapter=Dand ''v.'' Kingscote |page=373 |publisher=W. Green |year=1915}}</ref>}} from making the then rare decision to reserve for himself the rights to the coal when he sold the townships of Amble and Hauxley in 1630.<ref name="Nef305">{{cite book |title=The Rise of the British Coal Industry |volume=2 |first=John Ulric |last=Nef |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-7146-1346-8 |page=305}}</ref> A significant factor in the failure of all the early attempts, when compared to the success of ventures in the valleys of the Tyne and the [[River Wear|Wear]], was that of economies of scale. Those more successful areas at that time had plentiful easily accessed reserves which encouraged investment and the sharing of fixed costs such as harbour facilities, buildings and machinery among a large number of enterprises.<ref name="Nef">{{cite book |title=The Rise of the British Coal Industry |volume=2 |first=John Ulric |last=Nef |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-7146-1346-8 |pages=32–35}}</ref>

The early situation changed as the operators in the valleys exhausted the cheaply extracted ores and found themselves having to mine deeper and also further away from the rivers that were used for transport, thus increasing their costs per unit of coal mined. Some coal was probably being shipped from previously uneconomic places such Amble and [[Blyth, Northumberland|Blyth]] by the end of the seventeenth century,<ref name="Nef"/> and it was certainly being extracted at Amble by that time.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Rise of the British Coal Industry |volume=2 |first=John Ulric |last=Nef |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-7146-1346-8 |page=41}}</ref>

Amble grew in the nineteenth century as [[colliery|collieries]] were opened; and the newly built railway links to the Northumberland coalfields made the town a centre for the sea transport and export of coal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amble.gov.uk/about/amble|title=Amble |publisher=Amble Town Council |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref> Prior to the development of the harbour, the town was "little more than a hamlet", according to the architectural guides originally compiled by [[Nikolaus Pevsner]].<ref name="Pevsner">{{cite book |title=Northumberland |volume=15 |series=Pevsner Architectural Guides: The Buildings of England, Ireland, and Scotland Series |first1=Nikolaus |last1=Pevsner |first2=John |last2=Grundy |first3=Grace |last3=McCombie |first4=Peter |last4=Ryder |first5=Humphrey |last5=Welfare |edition=2nd |publisher=Yale University Press |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-300-09638-5 |pages=145–146}}</ref> The principal local mineworkings were those at [[Broomhill, Northumberland|Broomhill]] and at [[Radcliffe, Northumberland|Radcliffe]].<ref name="Berwick255">{{cite journal |journal=History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club |volume=14 |publisher=Berwickshire Naturalists' Club (Scotland) |year=1894 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofberwick14berw |page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofberwick14berw/page/255 255] |title=Amble and Hauxley |first=J. C. |last=Hodgson}}</ref>

The harbour at Amble was the smallest of those that served the coalfields of Northumberland and Durham. It was originally under the control of the [[Dukes of Northumberland]] until, in 1837, a port authority – the Warkworth Harbour Commission – was created to supervise improvements. Following consultations with various engineers, the proposals submitted by [[John Rennie the Younger|John Rennie]] in 1838 were accepted. These included the construction of [[breakwater (structure)|breakwater]]s to the north and the south, which were eventually completed in 1849 at a total cost of £116,000. The larger northern breakwater, which was originally {{convert|2300|ft|m}} in length, was extended in the early part of the 20th century but suffered from the undermining effects of the tide and required shoring with [[slag]] brought in from the ironworks of [[Hartlepool]] and [[Middlesbrough]].<ref name="Rennison">{{cite book |title=Civil Engineering Heritage: Northern England |first=Robert William |last=Rennison |edition=2nd |publisher=Thomas Telford |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-7277-2518-9 |pages=17–18}}</ref>{{efn|The idea of developing a harbour had been proposed earlier. [[Hamilton Fulton]], who had worked with both [[John Rennie the Elder]] and [[John Rennie the Younger]], had made proposals in 1832 at the request of the owner of the nearby [[Togston Colliery]].<ref>{{cite book |title=A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland: 1500–1830 |volume=1 |editor-first=A. W. |editor-last=Skempton |first=Mike |last=Grimes |publisher=Thomas Telford |year=2002 |chapter=Fulton, Hamilton |pages=241–242 |isbn=978-0-7277-2939-2}}</ref>}}

The construction of docks had also been mooted in 1844 and 1850 but the arrival of the railway led instead to the construction of [[Staithe|coal staithes]]. A change in consulting engineer in 1869 resulted in extensive dredging of the harbour but did not greatly improve the prospects of the port.{{efn|It was noted in 1860 that the harbour developments had been detrimental to the salmon fisheries on the River Coquet, known as the Amble [[Stell]]. This situation had allegedly existed from the outset and the solicitor to the Duke of Northumberland saw no end to the continued work.<ref>{{cite book |title=Minutes of Evidence taken before the Commissioners appointed to Enquire into Salmon Fisheries |pages=344–345 |publisher=House of Commons |year=1861}}</ref>}} Shipments of coal amounted to over 500,000 tons by 1914, but this was a modest volume when compared to the other regional ports. Robert Rennison notes with regard to the relative lack of prosperity that the port served a "small and discrete coalfield".<ref name="Rennison"/>

The {{convert|5.75|mi|km|adj=on}} railway branched on a single track to Amble at a point near to [[Chevington railway station|Chevington]] and was opened in September 1849 by the [[York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway]], initially as a freight-only line. Passenger services between Amble and Chevington began in 1879, following the construction of a station at Broomhill in 1878 and [[Amble railway station|facilities at Amble]] itself. The line between Amble and Broomhill was double-track. The passenger service ended in July 1930 and the general freight service was withdrawn in 1964. Coal traffic, which had amounted to around 750,000 tons annually in the 1920s, came to an end in 1969 when the line was closed completely.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080404053548/http://www.northumbrian-railways.co.uk/amble.html |archive-date=4 April 2008 |url=http://www.northumbrian-railways.co.uk/amble.html |title=Northumbrian Railways: Amble Branch}}</ref>

Other industries, such as [[Fishing industry|sea fishing]] and both [[ship building]] and repair in an area known as the Braid had expanded with the growth of the town. Traditional Northumbrian [[Commercial trawler|fishing vessels]] such as [[coble]]s had previously sheltered in the [[natural harbour]] for centuries.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} One local coble manufacturing business, J. & J. Harrison, founded in 1870, had been the first to introduce engines to the form and was still producing it in 1973, along with more generally utilised craft.<ref>{{cite news |title=Shaky future for the coble |last=White |first=Brian |newspaper=The Guardian |date=24 May 1973 |page=19}}</ref>

Amble Golf Club was founded in 1910 but disappeared in the late 1950s.<ref>[http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php/england/north-east/northumberland/311-amble-golf-club-northumberland "Amble Golf Club"], "Golf’s Missing Links".</ref>

On 1 December 1943, a [[Royal Air Force]] [[Short Stirling|Short Stirling Mk III]] (EH880) which departed [[RAF Mepal]], [[Cambridgeshire]], had completed its mission of dropping [[Naval mine|sea mines]] off the coast of [[Denmark]]. The aircraft was due to land at [[RAF Acklington]]. The pilots attempted a second approach to Acklington in bad weather; the aircraft crashed into Cliff House Farm, Togston. Six of the seven crew died along with five children on the ground: a 1997 housing development in the western edge of the town has streets named after the children who perished.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Northumberland Archives|date=2016-12-01|title=Disaster on the Home Front: The Robson Family|url=https://www.northumberlandarchives.com/2016/12/01/disaster-on-the-home-front-the-robson-family/|access-date=2021-09-24|website=Northumberland Archives|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Short Stirling III No. EH880, 1st December 1943|url=https://www.fusilier.co.uk/boats_planes/robson_stirling_cliff_house_farm_togston.htm|access-date=2021-09-24|website=www.fusilier.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-18 |title=Town's unusual living memorial |url=https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/towns-unusual-living-memorial-330514 |access-date=2022-09-01 |website=www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

==Present day==
[[File:St Cuthbert's Church, Amble - geograph.org.uk - 980084.jpg|thumb|St Cuthbert's Church]]
Sir Nikolaus Pevsner's guide of 1992 says that "Today Amble is a not unpleasant small town but has few buildings of distinction." Of those, he records the church of [[Cuthbert|St Cuthbert]], which was originally constructed in 1870 and expanded in 1929, and its associated 1876-built vicarage. In addition, he notes some early Victorian terraces on Queen Street and North Street, as well as "a fragment of wall with a C 15 window, square-headed and of two trefoiled lights with uncusped sunk panels above. Though it may seem unlikely, this is an ''in situ'' fragment of the medieval manor house. It belonged to Tynemouth Priory and may have served as a monastic cell." This latter is found on High Street.<ref name="Pevsner"/>

The fishing industry continues in Amble today, albeit with a reduced number of vessels,{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} as does a small marine industry which is mainly concentrated around the construction and repair of [[yacht]]s and other [[pleasure craft]].{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} A small [[industrial estate]] is located to the southwest of the town, whose clients include [[mechanic|vehicle repairs]] and telecommunications companies.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} However, {{As of|2012|lc=yes}}, most of the units on the estate are unoccupied and the town has been affected by the closure of nearby businesses, such as a site operated by [[Alcan]], as well as two food processing businesses in the town that employed nearly 300 people. A proposed retail development by [[Tesco]] had also been postponed due to poor trading conditions. The town's mayor announced that "the prospects for jobs are very bleak indeed."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amble.gov.uk/2012/04/annual-reports-from-amble-groupsorganisations/ |publisher=Amble Town Council |title=Annual Reports from Amble Groups/Organisations |date=17 April 2012 |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amble.gov.uk/2012/05/minutes-of-amble-parish-meeting-held-23rd-april-2012/ |title=Minutes of Amble Parish meeting held 23rd April 2012 |date=25 May 2012 |publisher=Amble Town Council |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Border Laird seafood factory at Amble set to close |first=Brian |last=Daniel |publisher=The Journal |date=10 July 2012 |url=http://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2012/07/10/border-laird-seafood-factory-at-amble-set-to-close-61634-31359650/#ixzz2Iig58ZeW |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>

The [[Royal National Lifeboat Institution]] maintains a [[Lifeboat station|station]] at Amble.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amblelifeboat.org.uk/ |title=The RNLI at Amble |publisher=Royal National Lifeboat Institute |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref> Amble RNLI station has two lifeboats – the Shannon Class 'Shannon Elizabeth and Leonard', which replaced the Mersey Class lifeboat 'The Four Boys' in November 2016 after the station raised £200,000 towards the new vessel's £2,000,000 cost.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2016/november/16/amble-rnli-set-to-welcome-new-shannon-class-lifeboat|title=Amble RNLI set to welcome new Shannon class lifeboat {{!}} RNLI|website=rnli.org|access-date=2017-01-09}}</ref> Amble's second lifeboat is the 'D Class' Inshore Lifeboat (or ILB), the 'Mildred Holcroft'. There have been lifeboats operating from the town since 1842<ref>{{cite web |title=Our Station & Community |url=http://www.amblelifeboat.org.uk/station.php |publisher=Royal National Lifeboat Institute |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref> and, for example, between 30 and 40 people perished in various wrecks near to Amble on 17–18 December 1872.<ref>{{cite journal |pages=[https://archive.org/details/transactionsof5187376natu/page/55 55]–56 |title=Meteorological Report, 1872 |journal=Natural History Transactions of Northumberland and Durham |publisher=Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club |volume=5 |first1=R. F. |last1=Wheeler |first2=R. E. |last2=Hoopell |year=1877 |url=https://archive.org/details/transactionsof5187376natu}}</ref>

===Regeneration and community development===
Amble had been a recipient of [[regional development]] assistance from 1965, when the restructuring of coal-mining operations, led by [[Alfred Robens, Baron Robens of Woldingham|Alfred Robens]] of the [[National Coal Board]], had a substantial detrimental effect on the local economy.<ref name="Guardian1984"/> Unemployment in the town was then 6.5 per cent, compared to a national average of 1.5 per cent.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Guardian |date=23 October 1965 |title=Districts for development |page=1}}</ref> By 1969, the Northern Economic Planning Council was proposing the closure of the port, which no longer had any coal traffic, in favour of redevelopment for leisure purposes.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Guardian |title=Some Northern ports 'will have to close' |last=Ardill |first=John |date=22 May 1969 |page=5}}</ref> The same year saw the closure of the nearby airbase of [[RAF Acklington]], where some of the population worked, and local unemployment exceeded 13 per cent as proposals for a substantial mushroom farming operation that would alleviate the problems were made.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Guardian |title=Mushroom farm may be cure |last=Ardill |first=John |date=19 November 1969 |page=6}}</ref> The farming operation failed to materialise due to lack of financial support from the government.<ref>{{cite news |title=The regions: the hardest hit in a hard-hit area |first=Ronald |last=Kershaw |newspaper=The Times |date=10 May 1971 |page=18}}</ref>

The development assistance was withdrawn in 1984, at which time a newspaper report noted that over 30 per cent of the 6,000 population were unemployed, with 80 per cent of council house tenants and 45 per cent of home owners receiving benefits or rebates for their housing costs and over 25 per cent of children claiming free school meals. The change in official status was one of the "glaring anomalies" of a government review, resulting from the town being reclassified as part of the "[[travel to work area]]" for [[Alnwick]] rather than a part of the industrialised regions to the south. Four businesses had been encouraged by the assistance to locate in the town during the preceding decade, creating around 400 jobs.<ref name="Guardian1984">{{cite news |newspaper=The Guardian |date=29 November 1984 |page=2 |title=New blow for town with 30 pc jobless |first=Peter |last=Hetherington}}</ref>

Amble Development Trust is a company operating as a charity with the purpose of working with other bodies to regenerate the town. It was established in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|title=Amble Development Trust|url=http://www.ambledevelopmenttrust.org.uk/Version2/current/pages/about.htm |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref> The Trust has been involved in numerous local projects to develop Amble both physically and socially, including having input on improvements to Queen Street, which is the main shopping thoroughfare.<ref name="ADTProjects">{{cite web |url=http://www.ambledevelopmenttrust.org.uk/Version2/current/pages/projects.htm |title=Projects |publisher=Amble Development Trust |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref> The work of the Trust and its associated body, the Amble Strategic Partnership, was recognised by the [[Royal Town Planning Institute]] in 2003 when they were given the institute's Planning for Town Regeneration award. This came soon after the same organisation had awarded them their Regional Award for Planning Achievement.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Northumberland Gazette |url=http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/local-news/regeneration-partners-scoop-national-award-1-1479960 |title= Regeneration partners scoop national award |date=7 February 2003 |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>
Recently {{when|date=November 2018}} new housing has been built, adding an extra 900 homes, and a new hotel called the Amble Inn opened in 2019<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/meal-review-amble-inn-sandpiper-way-154793 | title=MEAL REVIEW: The Amble Inn, Sandpiper Way }}</ref> bringing much-needed employment to the town.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}
Another project of the Trust is [[The Ambler]], a bi-monthly community newspaper and website, established in 2000 and operated mainly by volunteers. The free bi-monthly newspaper is delivered to every house and business in the town.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ambler |url=http://www.theambler.co.uk/about-us/ |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>

== Demography ==
[[Samuel Lewis (publisher)|Samuel Lewis]] reported a township population of 247 in 1831.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Topographical Dictionary of England |first=Samuel |last=Lewis |edition=4th |publisher=S. Lewis & Co. |year=1811 |page=47}}</ref> By the seventh edition of his ''Topographical Dictionary of England'', which was published in 1848, this figure had risen to 724.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Alvanley – Amble |title=A Topographical Dictionary of England |year=1848 |pages=49–53 |edition=7th |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50754&strquery=amble |publisher=British History Online |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref> The population was reported as being 1,040 in 1851.<ref>{{cite book |title=History, Topography, and Directory of Northumberland |url=https://archive.org/details/historytopograp00cogoog |author1=Whellan |author2=William |display-authors=etal |publisher=Whittaker and Company |year=1855 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historytopograp00cogoog/page/n707 712]}}</ref> The 1871 census recorded a population of 1,233, spread among 233 houses.<ref>{{cite book |title=Digest of the English Census of 1871 |orig-year=1873 |publisher=Elibron |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-4021-4660-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CCAmTUjgIfwC |page=143}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Population of Amble Urban District, 1901 – 1961{{efn|Amble Urban District comprised {{convert|1258|acre|ha}} during the period 1911–1951, and was {{convert|1|acre|ha}} less in 1961.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=University of Portsmouth and others |year=2009 |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_AREA_ACRES&u_id=10108925&c_id=10001043&add=Y |title=Area (acres) |work=A Vision of Britain Through Time: Amble |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>}}
|-
|
! scope="col"| 1901
! scope="col"| 1911
! scope="col"| 1921
! scope="col"| 1931
! scope="col"| 1939
! scope="col"| 1951
! scope="col"| 1961
|-
! scope="row"|Male<ref name="gender">{{cite web |publisher=University of Portsmouth and others |year=2009 |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_GENDER&u_id=10108925&c_id=10001043&add=Y |title=Gender |work=A Vision of Britain Through Time: Amble |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>
|
| 2,475
| 2,427
| 2,006
| 2,197
| 2,292
| 2,427
|-
! scope="row"|Female<ref name="gender"/>
|
| 2,406
| 2,424
| 2,199
| 2,483
| 2,390
| 2,473
|-
! scope="row"|Total<ref>{{cite web |publisher=University of Portsmouth and others |year=2009 |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_theme_page.jsp?u_id=10108925&c_id=10001043&data_theme=T_POP |title=Population |work=A Vision of Britain Through Time: Amble |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>
| 4,428
| 4,881
| 4,851
| 4,205
| 4,680
| 4,682
| 4,900
|}

D. J. Rowe notes that, in common with many Northumbrian towns, historically there was "endemic" overcrowding of the population in Amble. The number of houses that averaged over two people per room was 32.6 per cent in 1911. This figure, while not atypical for the region, was above average for the county and well above that for other regions of the country, such as London.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Cambridge Social History of Britain, 1750–1950: Regions and Communities |volume=1 |series=The Cambridge Social History of Britain 1750–1950 |editor-first=Francis Michael Longstreth |editor-last=Thompson |chapter=The North-East |first=D. J. |last=Rowe |edition=Reprinted |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-521-43816-2 |pages=449–450}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Housing in Amble Urban District, 1911 – 1961
|-
|
! scope="col"| 1911
! scope="col"| 1921
! scope="col"| 1931
! scope="col"| 1951
! scope="col"| 1961
|-
! scope="row"|Households<ref>{{cite web |publisher=University of Portsmouth and others |year=2009 |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_HOUS&data_cube=N_HOUSEHOLDS&u_id=10108925&c_id=10001043&add=Y |title=Total Households |work=A Vision of Britain Through Time: Amble |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>
| 1,084
| 1,098
| 1,123
| 1,420
| 1,601
|-
! scope="row"|Houses<ref>{{cite web |publisher=University of Portsmouth and others |year=2009 |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_HOUS&data_cube=N_HOUSES&u_id=10108925&c_id=10001043&add=Y |title=Total Houses|work=A Vision of Britain Through Time: Amble |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>
|
| 1,054
| 1,051
| 1,412
| 1,600
|-
! scope="row"|Rooms<ref>{{cite web |publisher=University of Portsmouth and others |year=2009 |url= http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_page.jsp?data_theme=T_HOUS&data_cube=N_ROOMS&u_id=10108925&c_id=10001043&add=Y |title=Total Rooms|work=A Vision of Britain Through Time: Amble |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>
|
| 3,558
| 3,758
| 5,170
| 6,485
|}

==Governance==
During the [[medieval]] period, Amble was a part of the [[Liberty (division)|liberty]] held by successive [[Prior (ecclesiastical)|prior]]s of [[Tynemouth]], most of whom faced challenges to their authority from both the Crown and their major tenants.<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Hexhamshire and Tynemouthshire |first=Matthew |last=Holford |pages=[https://archive.org/details/borderlibertiesl00holf/page/n196 172], 203 |title=Border Liberties and Loyalties: North-east England, C. 1200-c. 1400 |url=https://archive.org/details/borderlibertiesl00holf |url-access=limited |editor1-first=Matthew L. |editor1-last=Holford |editor2-first=Keith John |editor2-last=Stringer |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-7486-3278-7}}</ref> The town was ceded to the Crown in 1539, at the time of the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]].<ref>{{cite journal |journal=History of the Berwickshire Naturalists' Club |volume=14 |publisher=Berwickshire Naturalists' Club (Scotland) |year=1894 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofberwick14berw |pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofberwick14berw/page/91 91], 256 |title=Amble and Hauxley |first=J. C. |last=Hodgson}}</ref>

Until measures such as the [[Reform Act 1832|Reform Acts of 1832]] and [[Reform Act 1867|1867]], the electoral franchise was very restricted. In the [[1826 United Kingdom general election|1826 General Election]], there were nine people eligible to vote due to their [[freehold (law)|freehold]] interests in Amble, of which six actually lived there; another voter lived in Amble but was enfranchised due to freehold interests held elsewhere.<ref>{{cite book |title=The poll-book of the contested election for the county of Northumberland, from June 20th to July 6th, 1826, including a complete collection of the addresses and speeches of the candidates |year=1827 |publisher=W. Davison |location=Alnwick |pages=356, 359–360, 367 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nIEHAAAAQAAJ}}</ref> Twelve voters living in Amble qualified as freeholders or through land occupancy in the [[1841 United Kingdom general election|1841 election]], whilst another lived there but qualified due to property held elsewhere, and one lived elsewhere but held qualifying property in the township.<ref>{{cite book |title=The poll book of the contested election for the northern division of the county of Northumberland, taken ... 1841, including the addresses and authentic papers issued by the candidates &c. |publisher=John Hernaman/Newcastle Journal |year=1841 |pages=89–90, 120 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qIEHAAAAQAAJ}}</ref>

The Amble Local Government District, given the job of looking after the town, was set up around September 1878,<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/stream/sanitaryrecorda01esqgoog#page/n230/mode/2up/search/amble |journal=The Sanitary Record |date=27 September 1878 |page=199 |title=Notes of the Week}}</ref> the [[ecclesiastical parish]] comprising Amble, Hauxley, Gloster Hill and Togston having been formed by splitting from that of Warkworth in 1869 just before completion of the church construction.<ref name="Berwick255"/><ref>{{cite book |title=An Architectural Survey of the Churches in the Archdeaconry of Lindisfarne in the County of Northumberland |page=151 |first=Frederick Richard |last=Wilson |year=1870 |publisher=Lambert}}</ref> Elections to the nine-member committee followed<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://archive.org/stream/sanitaryrecorda01esqgoog#page/n230/mode/2up/search/amble |journal=The Sanitary Record |date=4 October 1878 |page=216 |title=Notes of the Week}}</ref> and it first met on 25 November 1878.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Amble and the Town Council |publisher=Amble Town Council |url=http://www.amble.gov.uk/about/history/ |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref> George W. Beattie was appointed Surveyor and Inspector of Nuisances to the Amble Local Board and Urban Sanitary Authority in January 1879.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=The Sanitary Record |page=48 |date=17 January 1879 |title=Appointments of Health Officers, Inspectors of Nuisances etc}}</ref> The administration was replaced by Amble Urban District Council which first met on 3 January 1895. Amble Urban District Council had nine elected Councillors. On 1 April 1974 the urban district was abolished and Amble became part of [[Alnwick District|Alnwick]] district.

On 29 November 1976 the civil parish was renamed from "Amble" to "Amble by the Sea".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ukbmd.org.uk/reg/districts/northumberland%20north%20second.html|title=Northumberland North Second Registration District|publisher=UKBMD|accessdate=21 November 2023}}</ref>

On 1 April 2009, the local government structure of Northumberland was reorganised. The six former districts were combined with the county to form the [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] of [[Northumberland]], based in [[Morpeth, Northumberland|Morpeth]]. Amble was in the former [[Alnwick District]] based in the town of [[Alnwick]].

An [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]] of the same name now exists. This ward includes Hauxley with a total population at the 2011 Census of 4,565.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/amble-e05008019#sthash.GQfPaIu0.dpbs|title=Ward population 2011|access-date=25 June 2015}}</ref> However, some outlying parts of the town are excluded from this Amble ward and are instead combined with Warkworth in a ward named Amble West with Warkworth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amble West with Warkworth - MapIt |url=https://mapit.mysociety.org/area/144209.html |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=mapit.mysociety.org}}</ref>

==Climate==

Being in the [[British Isles]], Amble experiences a [[maritime climate]] with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest [[Met Office]] weather station for which data are available is at [[Boulmer]], about nine miles to the north.

{{Weather box
|location = Boulmer 23m asl, 1971–2000
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 15.0
|Feb record high C = 16.1
|Mar record high C = 19.4
|Apr record high C = 23.5
|May record high C = 24.5
|Jun record high C = 28.5
|Jul record high C = 28.2
|Aug record high C = 31.0
|Sep record high C = 26.7
|Oct record high C = 21.4
|Nov record high C = 18.0
|Dec record high C = 15.2
|year record high C = 31.0
|Jan high C = 6.7
|Feb high C = 6.9
|Mar high C = 8.8
|Apr high C = 10.1
|May high C = 12.5
|Jun high C = 15.6
|Jul high C = 17.9
|Aug high C = 18.1
|Sep high C = 15.9
|Oct high C = 12.8
|Nov high C = 9.3
|Dec high C = 7.4
|year high C = 11.9
|Jan low C = 1.3
|Feb low C = 1.5
|Mar low C = 2.5
|Apr low C = 3.7
|May low C = 5.9
|Jun low C = 8.6
|Jul low C = 10.8
|Aug low C = 10.8
|Sep low C = 9.1
|Oct low C = 6.7
|Nov low C = 3.7
|Dec low C = 2.2
|year low C = 5.6
|Jan record low C = -12.0
|Feb record low C = −8.9
|Mar record low C = −10.0
|Apr record low C = −3.9
|May record low C = -1.5
|Jun record low C = 0.9
|Jul record low C = 3.9
|Aug record low C = 4.5
|Sep record low C = 1.0
|Oct record low C = -1.8
|Nov record low C = −6.2
|Dec record low C = −8.8
|year record low C = −12.0
|Jan precipitation mm = 59.0
|Feb precipitation mm = 41.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 46.7
|Apr precipitation mm = 49.2
|May precipitation mm = 48.0
|Jun precipitation mm = 53.4
|Jul precipitation mm = 47.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 62.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 54.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 58.1
|Nov precipitation mm = 67.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 63.6
|year precipitation mm = 651.0
|Jan sun = 62.6
|Feb sun = 79.4
|Mar sun = 121.5
|Apr sun = 152.7
|May sun = 194.1
|Jun sun = 193.8
|Jul sun = 186.3
|Aug sun = 178.9
|Sep sun = 135.6
|Oct sun = 105.7
|Nov sun = 76.5
|Dec sun = 53.3
|year sun = 1540.4
|source 1 = [[MetOffice]]<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/boulmer.html | title = Boulmer 1971–2000 averages | access-date = 24 January 2013 | publisher = [[UKMO]] |url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120916100844/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19712000/sites/boulmer.html | archive-date = 16 September 2012}}</ref>
|date=November 2011}}

==Transport==

===Road===
Amble is situated on the [[A1068 road|A1068]] that runs along the north-eastern coastline. This road is the old corn trading road which runs from Hexham in south west Northumberland through Cramlington, Bedlington, Guide Post, Ashington and Ellington. The road continues through more open coastal areas towards Amble and continues approximately {{convert|6|mi|km|0}} to the north to Alnmouth, then winds on to Alnwick.

Amble also lies near to the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1]], providing easy access to nearest city [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] ({{convert|30|mi}} south), [[Gateshead]] ({{convert|30|mi}} south) and to the [[Scotland|Scottish]] capital [[Edinburgh]] ({{convert|80|mi}} north).

===Rail===
The [[East Coast Main Line]] railway between Edinburgh (journey time approximately 1:10) and London (journey time approximately 3:45) runs via the nearby [[Alnmouth railway station|Alnmouth for Alnwick Station]] or [[Widdrington railway station|Widdrington Station]].

===Air===
[[Newcastle International Airport|Newcastle Airport]] is under an hour's drive from Amble.<ref name=AirportJourneyTime>{{cite web|title=About Amble|url=http://www.amble.gov.uk/about/amble/|website=Amble Town Council|publisher=Amble Town Council|access-date=16 May 2015}}</ref> It provides daily flights to London and regular flights to other UK centres. The airport also operates regular flights to many European destinations, along with destinations in Africa and North America.

==Media==
===Television===
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC North East and Cumbria]] and [[ITV Tyne Tees]]. Television signals are received from either the [[Chatton transmitting station|Chatton]] or [[Pontop Pike transmitting station|Pontop Pike]] TV transmitter.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Chatton | title=Chatton (Northumberland, England) Full Freeview transmitter | date=May 2004 | accessdate = 21 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Pontop_Pike| title=Full Freeview on the Pontop Pike (County Durham, England) transmitter | date=May 2004 | accessdate = 21 May 2024}}</ref>
===Radio===
Local radio stations are [[BBC Radio Newcastle]], [[Heart North East]], [[Capital North East]], [[Smooth North East]], [[Greatest Hits Radio North East]], [[Hits Radio North East]], and Koast Radio, a community based radio station.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.koastradio.co.uk/ |title=Koast Radio |access-date=21 May 2024}}</ref>

===Newspapers===
The town is served by the newspaper, ''[[Northumberland Gazette]]'' and ''The Ambler'' which is a free independent community paper that is run by volunteers. Its first edition hit the streets in Amble in January 2000. <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theambler.co.uk/about-us/|title=About Us|website=The Ambler|access-date= 21 May 2024}}</ref>

==Tourism==
Representations were made in 2006 for Amble to be included in the [[Northumberland Coast National Landscape|Northumberland Coast]] [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]], which ends at the pier. The town is also adjacent to nature reserves operated by [[Northumberland Wildlife Trust]] at [[Cresswell, Northumberland|Cresswell]], [[Druridge Bay Country Park|Druridge]] and Hauxley.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=Northumberland Gazette |url=http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/local-news/natural-beauty-does-not-stop-at-amble-1-1368297 |title=Natural beauty does not stop at Amble |date=14 February 2006 |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>

The town has a [[caravan park]], as well as [[guest house (lodging)|guest house]]s and [[bed and breakfast]] accommodation for visitors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yournorthumberland.co.uk/accommodation/amble|title=Your Northumberland Guide}}</ref> The Braid, which forms a part of the harbour, is now a [[greenfield site]] with a modern [[marina]]. In 2009, part of the Braid was legally designated as a [[Village green#Town and village greens|Village Green]], despite opposition from the council and the withdrawal of the initial application by the person who sought the status.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www3.northumberland.gov.uk/Councillor/Upload/CDocs/1049_M257.doc|title=Northumberland County Council|access-date=24 January 2013|url-status = dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121005231719/http%3A//www3.northumberland.gov.uk/Councillor/Upload/CDocs/1049_M257.doc|archive-date=5 October 2012}}</ref>

The nearby Coquet Island is home to many varieties of nesting sea birds, including [[puffin]]s and the rare [[Roseate tern]]. Access is restricted but there are various providers of boat trips around the island.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.puffincruises.co.uk/ |title=Puffin Cruises}}</ref> A £10,000 grant was awarded to promote the town with a "Puffin Festival" during the last two weeks of May 2013, when the presence of that species on the island is at its peak. It was hoped that the grant would also encourage local people to use the town's shops.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-20886789 |publisher=BBC |title=Amble wins government cash to host puffin festival |date=2 January 2013 |access-date=24 January 2013}}</ref>

== Friendliest port ==
In the 1930s, when the [[RMS Mauretania (1906)|RMS ''Mauretania'']] was heading on her last voyage to the breaker's yard at [[Rosyth]], the town council of Amble sent a telegram to the ship saying "still the finest ship on the seas". The ''Mauretania'' replied with greetings "to the last and kindliest port in England".<ref>{{cite book |title=Atlantic liners of the Cunard Line: from 1884 to the present day |page=85 |first=Neil |last=McCart |publisher=Stephens |year=1990 |isbn=978-1-85260-065-5}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
*[[William Rochester Pape]] (1831 - 1923) - an English gunsmith who invented and patented the choke boring system, and held the first dog show in [[Great Britain]]
*Sir [[James Calvert Spence]] (1892–1954) - [[nutritionist]] and [[paediatrician]]<ref>{{cite ODNB |title=Spence, Sir James Calvert (1892–1954), paediatrician |first=Alan W. |last=Craft |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/36206 |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/36206 |access-date=24 January 2013}} </ref>
*Professor [[Fred Taylor (physicist)|Fred Taylor]] (1934 - 2021) - formerly Professorial Fellow, [[Jesus College, Oxford]] and Halley Professor of Physics, [[University of Oxford]]. Distinguished Visiting Scientist at [[NASA]]'s [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]], [[California Institute of Technology]], [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]].<ref name="Ambler-Taylor">{{cite news|last=Williams|first=Anna|title=Stargazing fans, meet Amble's own space man|url=http://www.theambler.co.uk/2012/12/14/from-amble-to-mars/|access-date=19 January 2013|newspaper=The Ambler|date=14 December 2012}}</ref>
*[[John Angus (footballer, born 1938)|John Angus]] (1938 - 2021) - [[Burnley F.C.|Burnley]] and [[England national football team|England footballer]].<ref name="Ambler-change-same">{{cite news|last=Cooper|first=Justin|title=Some things change, some things stay the same|url=http://www.theambler.co.uk/2012/10/29/some-things-change-some-things-stay-the-same/|access-date=19 January 2013|newspaper=The Ambler|date=29 October 2012}}</ref>
*[[Luke James (footballer)|Luke James]] (1994 -''living'') - footballer for Peterborough United

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
File:Amble Harbour at night.jpg|Fishing boats tied up.
File:amblebirds.jpg|Birds on the grass in the car park leading on to the 'little shore'
File:ambleboats2.jpg|Small fishing boats moored-up.
File:amblepier.jpg|Amble pier
File:Amble Harbour, Northumberland.jpg|Fishing boat entering Amble Harbour.
File:Cobles in the harbour, Amble (1) - geograph.org.uk - 1366403.jpg|Cobles in the harbour
File:Town square, Amble - geograph.org.uk - 521543.jpg|Town square, Amble
File:Amble-clock-and-flag.jpg|Amble war memorial and clock in the town square
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Amble branch line]]
*[[James Calvert Spence College]]

== References ==
'''Notes'''
{{notelist}}
'''Citations'''
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |title=Amble: the friendliest port – a pictorial history of Amble, Northumberland |first1=Paul G. |last1=Morrison |first2=Tony |last2=Rylance |first3=John W. |last3=Anderson |publisher=Howe Bros. |location=Gateshead |year=1988}}
* {{cite book |title=The Amble Branch |first=Bartle |last=Rippon |date=26 July 2007 |publisher=Kestrel Railway Books |isbn=978-1-905505-05-0}}
* {{cite book |title=A History of Northumberland |volume=5 |first=John Crawford|last=Hodgson |editor1-first=Edward |editor1-last=Bateson |editor2-first=Allen Banks |editor2-last=Hinds |editor3-first=Herbert Henry Edmund |editor3-last=Craster |editor4-first=Kenneth Hotham |editor4-last=Vickers |editor5-first=Madeleine Hope |editor5-last=Dodds |publisher=Andrew Reid & Co. |location=Newcastle-upon-Tyne |year=1899 |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofnorthum05nort}}
* {{cite journal |title=The Geology of the Country around Rothbury, Amble and Ashington |issue=9–10 |journal=Memoirs of the Geological Survey, Great Britain: England and Wales |first=Alexander |last=Fowler |year=1935 |url=https://www.fusilier.co.uk/northumberland_coal_mines_collieries/geology_of_rothbury_amble_ashington.html}}

== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|Amble}}
{{Commons category|Amble}}
* [http://www.amble.gov.uk Amble Town Council]
* [http://www.theambler.co.uk/ The Ambler Community Newspaper]
* [http://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/Amble.htm Northumberland Communities website]
* [http://www.fusilier.co.uk/ Amble and District local history]

{{Coastal settlements
|place         = Northumberland
|settlement    = Amble
|anticlockwise = [[Alnmouth]]
|clockwise     = [[Cresswell, Northumberland|Cresswell]]
}}
{{Northumberland}}
{{River Coquet settlements}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Amble| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Ports and harbours of Northumberland]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Aviation accidents and incidents locations in England]]