70 Years as a Protected Landscape - Northumberland National Park

Northumberland National Park is celebrating 70 years since it was first designated a National Park

Northumberland National Park is celebrating a landmark anniversary in 2026, marking 70 years since its official designation in 1956 under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949; a pioneering piece of postwar legislation which protected the nation’s most treasured landscapes while guaranteeing public access and enjoyment.

Although formally established in 1956, the 400 square mile landscape of Northumberland National Park has been shaped by over 10,000 years of human activity. From early Neolithic farming communities to the construction of Hadrian’s Wall (AD 122), centuries of medieval conflict, and the turbulent era of the Border Reivers, the National Park represents layers of Britain’s natural and cultural history. Evidence of ancient agriculture including distinctive hillside cultivation terraces can still be seen in places like the Breamish Valley and today the National Park is enjoyed by over 1.7 million people visiting the National Park each year and exploring over 1,200 kilometres of public rights of way.

Back in the 1950s, the National Parks Commission recommended the area for designation due to its exceptional natural beauty, rich archaeological heritage, and biodiversity. Its boundary was deliberately drawn to include the wildest uplands from the Cheviot Hills to Hadrian’s Wall while keeping larger settlements outside the National Park to preserve the tranquillity and remoteness that continue to define England’s northernmost National Park, often referred to as England’s last great wilderness.