A colliery was worked here until 1892, when a fault in the seam, then fire and flooding, made coal extraction uneconomical.

By the mid-twentieth century, the surviving pits in this area of Northumberland were also becoming uneconomical to run, especially when compared to extraction using opencast mining techniques.

Little is now visible at the site of the village - a farm, a few private houses, a mechanic's workshop, and the old sports pavilion survived the demolition.

On Sunday, 15 February 1942, at 8:22 pm, a landmine was dropped on Radcliffe by a German aeroplane being chased by an RAF fighter plane.

The original location can still be seen at the west side of the A1068 to the south of the village, where the surrounding wrought iron railings remain.