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Ironstone mining in Cleveland and North Yorkshire | |
---|---|
Location | |
County | Yorkshire, North Riding[note 1] |
Country | England |
Production | |
Commodity | Ironstone |
Production | 6,750,000 tonnes (7,440,000 tons) |
Year | 1883 |
Ironstone mining in Cleveland and North Yorkshire occurred on a sizeable scale from the 1830s to the 1960s in present-day eastern parts of North Yorkshire but was recorded as far back as Roman times mostly on a small scale and intended for local use. This Cleveland is not to be confused with a smaller area covered by the county of Cleveland from 1974-96.
Around the year 1850, large seams of ironstone were discovered in the Cleveland Hills, later also in and around Rosedale and Eskdale. Mining of these seams accelerated an industry around the River Tees's south eastern banks and around the River Tyne, where many new ironworks were built. Settlements around the Tees and Tyne, especially the Cleveland town of Middlesbrough (on the Tees) developed as iron- and steel-processing centres. They received large amounts of ironstone, first by ship and later by railway. The industry experienced a meteoric rise, in the space of twenty years (by 1870), and ironstone from the Cleveland part of Yorkshire was supplying 38% of the steel and iron requirements of Britain.
Ironstone workings in Yorkshire's Cleveland declined from the 1930s onwards because imported iron ore could be shipped in vast quantities to the quaysides at Middlesbrough and on the Tyne. The last commercially operated ironstone mine was near Skelton-in-Cleveland. The North Skelton Mine closed in January 1964. Restoration schemes have restored some mine sites and they have been opened to public access. Water draining out of mines has polluted some watercourses in the area.
The list covers all the ironstone mines in the Cleveland Ironstone Formation and as such extends into parts of North Yorkshire that were not traditionally designated as being in Cleveland.[note 2] The list only covers areas of productive ironstone mining, and so does not include test areas (ie Goldsborough on the North Yorkshire coast where drilling was undertaken for three years from 1912).[2] Ironstone production helped fuel the industrial revolution with smelters and ironworks in Middlesbrough accounting for 33% of iron and steel production in Britain in 1865.[3] By 1870, Britain was supplying about half of all the iron and steel across the world; 38% of that, was made from iron mined in the Cleveland Hills and North Yorkshire.[4] The table below shows the combined production of ironstone from the Cleveland Hills between 1857 and 1880.
Year | No. of mines | Production | Year | No. of mines | Production | Year | No. of mines | Production | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1857 | 17 | 1,414,155 tonnes (1,558,839 tons) | 1865 | 20 | 2,762,359 tonnes (3,044,980 tons) | 1873 | 35 | 5,617,014 tonnes (6,191,698 tons) | ||
1858 | 17 | 1,367,395 tonnes (1,507,295 tons) | 1866 | 19 | 2,809,061 tonnes (3,096,460 tons) | 1874 | 35 | 5,614,322 tonnes (6,188,731 tons) | ||
1859 | 15 | 1,520,542 tonnes (1,676,111 tons) | 1867 | 17 | 2,739,039 tonnes (3,019,274 tons) | 1875 | 39 | 6,121,794 tonnes (6,748,123 tons) | ||
1860 | 17 | 1,471,319 tonnes (1,621,852 tons) | 1868 | 15 | 2,785,307 tonnes (3,070,275 tons) | 1876 | 36 | 6,562,000 tonnes (7,233,000 tons) | ||
1861 | 17 | 1,212,414 tonnes (1,336,458 tons) | 1869 | 16 | 3,094,678 tonnes (3,411,299 tons) | 1877 | 33 | 6,284,545 tonnes (6,927,525 tons) | ||
1862 | 16 | 1,689,966 tonnes (1,862,869 tons) | 1870 | 17 | 4,072,888 tonnes (4,489,591 tons) | 1878 | 29 | 5,603,639 tonnes (6,176,955 tons) | ||
1863 | 13 | 2,078,806 tonnes (2,291,491 tons) | 1871 | 21 | 4,581,901 tonnes (5,050,681 tons) | 1879 | 29 | 4,750,000 tonnes (5,240,000 tons) | ||
1864 | 14 | 2,401,890 tonnes (2,647,630 tons) | 1872 | 31 | 4,974,950 tonnes (5,483,940 tons) | 1880 | 29 | 6,486,654 tonnes (7,150,312 tons) |
Evidence of iron working in the area dates back as far as the Roman times, with an ironworks at Levisham working iron believed to have been sourced from Rosedale.[6] The iron from the Cleveland seams is known to have been worked in Eskdale prior to 1750. A farm at Danby was marked on mapping as Furnace Farm and had evidence of scoria heaps (slag). Other slag heaps have been found in Glaisdale (that pre-date the Victorian ironworks) and Fryup Dale too.[7] Other workings south of Goathland, known as the Killing Pits[b] also show evidence of having been worked in the post-Medieval period, but before the 19th century industrial extraction of ironstone in the area.[8]
Nodules of ironstone were quarried from the beaches and cliffs between Staithes and Kettleness since the 1830s, but this was at the mercy of the weather and the tides as the ironstone was transported by sea.[9] Most of the ironstone collected on the Yorkshire Coast was shipped to ironworks in, and around, the Newcastle area, using sea and river transport for a large part of its journey.[10] When large-scale mining was introduced, most of the mining areas were connected to the railway network either by their own lines or via a narrow gauge railway which connected to main railway network.[11] A small number used direct sea transportation, but in the end, they closed down or converted to railway operation. The growth of the railway system in North Yorkshire actually led to the discovery of ironstone in the area, when the Whitby and Pickering Railway reached Grosmont in 1835,[12] with shipping of ironstone from Grosmont, via the railway, then ship from Whitby harbour, in 1836.[13]
Quarrying and mining on the Yorkshire coast for alum were commonplace but were dying out in the latter half of the 19th century when it was discovered that alum could be sourced from colliery waste. The boom in the ironstone industry meant that some communities had a new occupational lifeline.[14] The discovery of the Eston ironstone by Henry Bolckow and John Vaughan in 1850 accelerated the industrialisation of the area since the ironstone outcropped quite close to the surface and could be recovered more easily than on the coast, which was dependent on the tides, and than from the mines further south, which had to go to greater depths to recover the stone. In August 1850, the find of stone was proved, and by December of the same year the first shipment of ironstone, 136 tonnes (150 tons), was taken over a newly built tramway from Eston into Middlesbrough.[15] The Rosedale mines developed in the 1860s and were connected via a railway that ran across the moors and down a steep incline near Ingleby Greenhow, which then joined the main railway network at what would become Battersby railway station. The ore at Rosedale was roasted with coal (calcined) to remove impurities and lessen the overall weight of the ore so that the transport costs were cheaper, as the companies had to pay the landowners per tonne of ore transported over the railway.[16][17]
Production across the region as whole peaked in 1883, when 6,750,000 tonnes (7,440,000 tons) of ore were processed. After that, tonnages declined steadily.[18] In 1936, the contribution to UK steel production from the north east was 27.3%, but by this time much of the ore was being imported.[19] Apart from a dip in 1922, the smelters on Teesside first started using a greater proportion of imported ore over that mined locally in 1936.[20]
Year | Cleveland ore | Imported ore | Total | Percentage ratio |
---|---|---|---|---|
1913 | 5,940,963 | 2,257,576 | 8,198,539 | 72.46 / 27.54 |
1918 | 4,544,135 | 1,507,795 | 6,051,930 | 75.09 / 24.91 |
1922 | 1,169,700 | 1,537,144 | 2,706,844 | 43.21 / 66.79 |
1925 | 2,284,186 | 1,468,560 | 3,752,746 | 60.87 / 39.13 |
1928 | 2,272,124 | 1,362,273 | 3,634,397 | 62.52 / 37.48 |
1931 | 1,493,916 | 765,205 | 2,259,121 | 66.13 / 33.87 |
1933 | 1,012,700 | 817,956 | 1,830,656 | 55.32 / 44.68 |
1934 | 1,641,921 | 1,504,111 | 3,146,032 | 52.19 / 47.81 |
1935 | 1,640,090 | 1,517,951 | 3,158,041 | 51.93 / 48.07 |
1936 | 1,800,000 | 2,034,305 | 3,834,305 | 46.94 / 53.06 |
Production of ironstone in the area declined as opencast and quarried ironstone from other UK locations became prevalent owing to it being cheaper to quarry than mining.[18] For example, the ironstone workings in Northamptonshire were all surface operations, therefore could be mechanised more easily without the need for timber props nor the time and labour required to install the timbers. This meant that by the interwar years, Northamptonshire iron ore was five shillings per tonne cheaper to transport than Cleveland ore.[21] In addition the global recession in the early 1920s led to a drop in the price of iron.[22] Closures were further exacerbated by imported iron ore.[23] The last industrial operation of mining ore in the area was at North Skelton, which ended in January 1964.[24]
Apportioning strict geography to the area is different according to various sources; most agree, however, that the Cleveland Hills (or the Cleveland District) are tied in with the occurrence of the ironstone in whatever seam and thus it extends from the Tees at Middlesbrough in the north to the Vale of Pickering in the south. The North Sea coast provides the eastern limit, whilst the Scugdale Valley down through Felixkirk to Thirsk is seen as the western border.[25][26]
Mining of ironstone can be grouped into three distinct localities: Cleveland mines which worked the main Cleveland seam, the Rosedale mines, which worked the Dogger seam and those grouped around Grosmont and the Esk Valley which worked the Avicula and Pecten seams. The exceptions to this rule are those on the coast south of Boulby (particularly Port Mulgrave) which worked the Dogger seam, and several localities that worked the Two-Foot Seam.[27][28] Those mining concerns in the eastern part of Cleveland, entered around Brotton and Loftus, worked the ironstone band where it dipped in a depression, and so were the ones most likely to need shaft and deep mining experience. North Skelton was the deepest at 720 feet (220 m), followed by Kilton at 680 feet (210 m), and Lingdale at 620 feet (190 m).[29]
Both the Avicula and Pecten seams were named after a type of fossil found in the stone, avicula cygnipes (swan) and pecten (scallop) respectively.[30] However some stone was quarried/mined even further south than the Murk Esk valley: at Kirby Knowle, near Thirsk, workings in the Dogger Seam were explored in the 19th century, where the ironstone is known to be 6–7 inches (150–180 mm) thick.[31][32] It was estimated that the occurrence of ironstone underneath Cleveland and North Yorkshire extended for 500 square miles (1,300 km2).[33] The various seams had different names in places, sometimes on account of their geology, others owing to a confusion of which seam was being mined; the Avicula seam was also known as the Low Seam owing to its position and the Pecten seam was sometimes called the Shelly Seam owing to the abundance of shells within it.[34]
Methods of recovering ironstone varied with location: most of the early mines centred around Grosmont used a system known as the double-stall and others used the longwall method, whereas most mines and drifts winning stone from the Main Seam used the pillar and bord way of mining.[35]
Mine | Location | Dates | Type[c] | Seam[d][36] | Grid ref | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ailesbury Mine | Whorlton | 1872–1887 | M | MS | NZ494008 | Most productive return was in 1874, when almost 95,000 tonnes (105,000 tons) was produced, with a value of £28,500. | [37][38] |
Aysdalegate Mine | Lockwood | 1863–1880 | M | MS | NZ652149 | Later became part of the Spawood Mine as ventilation shafts. | [39][40][41] |
Ayton Banks Mine | Great Ayton | 1909–1929 | M | MS | NZ581109 | [42] | |
Ayton Mines | Great Ayton | 1908–1931 | M | MS | NZ581109 | Also known as Monument Mine, due to its proximity to the Captain Cook Monument on the hill. A steep incline provided for onwards transportation via the Great Ayton Branch line. | [43][44][45] |
Beck Hole | Grosmont | 1858–1864 | D | DS | NZ822018 | Historically known as Beckhole. | [46] |
Belmont Mine | Guisborough | 1853–1933 | D, S | MS | NZ616145 | Also known as the Belman Bank Mines. | [47][48] |
Blakey Pit | Farndale | 1876–1895 | D, S | DS | SE680979 | Also known as Farndale. | [49][50] |
Boosbeck | Boosbeck | 1872–1887 | M | MS | NZ658168 | The mine was quite productive (480,000 tonnes (530,000 tons) in 1881), but was beset by problems. It caused subsidence to the village and 700 were made homeless. An inrush of water in 1887 closed the workings. | [51] |
Boulby | Boulby | 1854–1860 1903–1934 |
D | MS | NZ760181 | Worked in two stages; the 19th century venture failed owing to lack of good transport. The 20th-century workings used the railway to transport the iron ore to Skinningrove Iron Works. The site now forms part of the Boulby Mine complex. | [52][53] |
Brotton | Brotton | 1865–1921 | M | MS, TS | NZ685201 | [54] | |
Carlin How | Carlin How | 1869–1946 | M | MS, TS | NZ710192 | [55] | |
Chaloner Mine | Guisborough | 1869–1939 | D, M, S | MS | NZ605173 | [56] | |
Cliff | Brotton | 1857–1887 | M | MS | NZ689216 | Before the arrival of the railway in 1865, the ironstone is thought to have been dumped over the cliff and collected from the seashore. Closed in 1877, it was reopened in 1880 and connected underground with Huntcliff Mine. | [57][58][59] |
Coate Moor Mine | Kildale | 1872–1876 | D | MS, PS, TS | NZ511604 | Short-lived venture; the mine and buildings were repossessed in 1875 because of non-payment of rents | [60][61] |
Codhill[note 3] | Hutton Lowcross | 1853–1886 | D | MS | NZ600137 | The building of the Middlesbrough & Guisborough railway allowed for the exploitation of the ironstone in this district. | [47][63] |
Commondale Mine | Commondale | 1863–1867 | M | MS | NZ664103 | [64] | |
Court Green | Eston | c. 1883–c. 1893 | S | MS | NZ590180 | [65] | |
Crags Hall Mine | Brotton | 1867–1893 | M | MS | NZ701196 | Sometimes spelt as Craggs Hall. | [66] |
Eskdale Mine | Grosmont | 1848–1878 1906–1915 |
D | AS | NZ837059 | North east of Grosmont with railway sidings direct onto the Whitby & Pickering Railway with the ore being taken to Chester-le-Street, then in the second incarnation, used locally at Grosmont Ironworks. | [46] |
Eskdale (Bolton Crag) | Grosmont | 1848–1852 | D | AS | NZ852063 | Workings developed by Losh, Wilson and Bell, but abandoned in favour of a seam discovered near Skinningrove | [46][67] |
Esk Valley Mine[note 4] | Grosmont | 1859–1877 | M | AS | NZ822044 | Located on the original Whitby to Pickering Railway Beck Hole section | [68][69][70] |
Eston Mine (complex) | Eston | 1850–1949 | S, D, M | MS | NZ563183 | In 1850, the ironstone was extracted from the surface, but as the workings progressed southwards into the hill, drifting became necessary and later still deep mining was required. At least three pit heads were established at the Eston complex for drawing the ironstone to the surface; Old Bank Drift, New bank Drift, and Trustee Level Drift. | [71][72][73] |
Glaisdale | 1862–1876 | M | AS, PS | NZ779054 | [74] | ||
Grinkle Mine | Grinkle Park | 1875–1934 | D | MS | NZ762178 | Ironstone forwarded originally to Port Mulgrave for sea transport | [2] |
Grosmont Haggs (Grosmont West) | Grosmont | 1864–1890 | M | AS, PS | NZ823058 | This worling was north west of Grosmont, and described as having "shallow shafts". | [2][75] |
Grosmont, Hollins | Grosmont | 1836–1860 1863–1866 |
D, M | AS, PS | NZ831057 | The seam was discovered when construction was underway for the Whitby and Pickering Railway. Before the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Railway reached Grosmont railway station from the west, iron ore was transported via rail to Whitby and thence to Tyneside by ship. | [2][75] |
Hob Hill | Saltburn | 1865–1874 1899–1920 |
D, S | MS, PS | NZ656205 | Ironstone may have been won after 1920, as records indicate the mine was merged with Upleatham around this time. Mapping from the 1910s, shows Hob Hill and Upleatham connected by an aerial ropeway.[76] | [77] |
Huntcliff[note 5] | Brotton | 1872–1906 | D | MS | NZ697214 | Mining commenced between 1870 and 1872. It was later connected underground with the Cliff Mine. | [79][80] |
Hummersea Bank Mine | Loftus | C | NZ734200 | [66] | |||
Hutton Mine | Hutton Lowcross | 1855–1858 | D, S | MS | NZ603134 | Sub-surface workings of the mine were incorporated within the Roseberry Mine workings in the early 20th century. The distance between the two was only 1.2 miles (2 km). | [81] |
Ingleby Manor Mines (Ingleby Moor) | Ingleby Greenhow | 1858–1865 | D | MS | NZ607023 | Reached by a small spur from the Rosedale railway line. | [82] |
Kettleness | Goldsborough | 1838–1842 1854–1857 |
C | MS | NZ831160 | Ironstone sourced from the cliffs and beach, loaded onto ships for the Tyneside smelters of Losh, Wilson & Bell | [83] |
Kettleness Mine | Goldsborough | 1910–1915 | C | DS | NZ822152 | North Eastern Railway records show that the Kettleness railway station handled 2,595 tonnes (2,860 tons) of iron ore in 1911. | [84][85] |
Kilton | 1870–1876 1894–1963 |
M | MS | NZ695169 | The conical shaped-heap of waste ironstone material is notable locally. The site is now a nature reserve. | [86] | |
Kirkleatham | Dunsdale | 1872–1886 | D | MS | NZ608186 | [86] | |
Levisham | 1863–1874 | M | See note | SE824929 | Mine worked the Cornbrash (Ferrugious Sandstone) to the north west of Levisham village. | [87][88] | |
Lingdale Mine | Lingdale | 1870–1962 | M | MS | NZ677165 | Lay dormant between 1926 and 1940. Work restarted after four kilns were moved from the island of Raasay. | [89] |
Liverton Mine | Loftus | 1871–1923 | M | MS | NZ710180 | [90] | |
Loftus Mines | Loftus | 1830–1958 | C, D | MS | NZ711192 | [91] | |
Longacres Mine | Skelton | 1865–1954 (1916) | M | MS | NZ668194 | Operated by Bolckow, Vaughan until 1929, Dorman Long thereafter. Output from 1916 was taken by a 1-mile (1.6 km) incline into North Skelton Mine | [92] |
Lonsdale | Kildale | 1865–1868 | M | MS | NZ605105 | [93] | |
Lumpsey Mine | Brotton | 1880–1954 | M | MS | NZ686187 | Official closure was in 1954, but ironstone from Lumpsey was mined and brought to the surface at North Skelton Mine until closure of North Skelton in 1964. | [94][95] |
Mirkside West | Grosmont | 1857–1869 | S | AS | NZ819035 | Also known as Murkside and Murk Side, due to being near the River Murk Esk | [36] |
Normanby Mine | Normanby | 1859–1899 | D, S | MS | NZ553169 | [96] | |
North Skelton | North Skelton | 1872–1964 | M | MS | NZ675183 | Last mine to close in Cleveland | [97] |
Ormesby | Ormesby | 1865–1892 | D, S | MS | NZ541166 | The seam occurs quite near to the surface, and roof falls at the site of the mine have been commonplace | [98] |
Port Mulgrave[note 6] | Port Mulgrave | 1857–1881 | C, D, S | MS | NZ545167 | Entire output from Port Mulgrave was transported via ship. When Port Mulgrave was exhausted, a railway was cut through the cliff to Grinkle Mine, with Port Mulgrave continuing as an export facility. | [101] |
Raithwaite Mine | Sandsend | 1855–1860 | C, D | DS | NZ870119 | A drift mine cut into the coast which has been destroyed by coastal erosion. The ironstone was loaded directly onto boats | [102] |
Roseberry Mine | Great Ayton | 1881–1883 1907–1924 |
D | MS, TS | NZ580124 | The site was initially closed in 1883, reopening 24 years later in 1907; in 1917, it was one of the most productive sites in Cleveland | [103] |
Rosedale East | Rosedale | 1866–1926 | D | DS | SE707989 | [104] | |
Rosedale West | Rosedale | 1853–1885 | D | DS | SE723946 | [105] | |
Sherriff's Pit | Rosedale West | 1874–1911 | M | DS | SE698962 | Was connected to the Rosedale Railway. The mine was named after Alexander Sherriff - one of the owners | [106] |
Skelton Mine | Skelton | 1861–1938 | M | TS | NZ637169 | [107] | |
Skelton Park Pit | Skelton | 1872–1938 | M | MS, TS | NZ644180 | The mine produced over 18,555,000 tonnes (20,453,000 tons) during its lifetime | [108] |
Slapewath Mines | Slapewath | 1864–1884 1886–1906 |
D, M | MS | NZ646148 | Stone from Slapewath was progressively taken out via Spawood mine from 1890 onwards until closure of the shafts at Slapewath (apart from ventilation) from 1906. | [109][110] |
Sleights Bridge | Sleights | 1856–1859 | M | AS, PS | NZ865082 | Worked by the Eskdale Ironstone Company. The stone was between 30 and 50% iron. | [111][112] |
South Skelton Mine | Boosbeck | 1872–1959 | M | MS | NZ654164 | [113][114] | |
Spa | Guisborough | 1864–1904 | D, S | MS | NZ639158 | [115] | |
Spawood Mine | Slapewath | 1864–1930 | M | MS, TS | NZ636157 | [116] | |
Stanghow Mine | Guisborough | 1873–1925 | M | MS | NZ654156 | [117] | |
Upleatham | Saltburn | 1854–1923 | D, S | MS | NZ625204 | [118] | |
Upsall | Eston | 1853–1945 | M | MS | NZ573173 | Also known as Upsal. Iron quarried from here was first sent to an ironworks on Tyneside in 1811, with the response stating that the stone was "good for nothing". | [119][120] |
Warren Moor Mine | Kildale | 1865–1874 | D | DS, MS | NZ625088 | The chimney still stands at this location – the only Victorian ironstone mine chimney left in the United Kingdom | [121] |
Waterfall | Guisborough | 1880–1901 | M | MS | NZ626172 | [122][123] | |
Whitecliffe | Loftus | 1871–1884 | M | MS | NZ711189 | [124] | |
Wintergill | 1878–1881 | D | See note | NZ760018 | This short-lived mine worked the Ellerbeck Seam and exported its stone through Egton railway station being delivered there by horse and cart. A railway connection was proposed, but never built. | [125] |
Some of the mines roasted their iron ore, which enriched the final product before leaving the mine area, this being most notable at Rosedale where the former kilns are part of the heritage of the area and are listed as a scheduled monument.[126] An ironworks was built at Skinningrove, which produced pig iron from ore mined at Loftus, just across Kilton Beck. Whilst Loftus Mine closed in 1958,[127] the plant is still operational, producing steel profiles with raw steel railed in from primary smelters located in Lincolnshire.[128]
Many of the companies that were working the ironstone, also had limestone and coal ventures in other parts of the north-east region, this allowed for the iron and steelworks to proliferate on the south bank of the River Tees. This, combined with the ability to ship pig iron from the docks at a cheap rate led to the ironstone and pig iron industry on south Teesside being the most prolific in output for England and Scotland.[129] Other major iron and steel centres in Northamptonshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire had overland transport costs.[130]
Several becks on the coast have been affected by pollution.[131] As the mines closed down, so the pumps were turned off and this stopped the contaminated water being pumped away. Kilton Beck has been badly affected by this, with tales of how locals could fish in the beck, but it spent a good part of the second half of the 20th century heavily poisoned and was described as being ochre in colour. It has since been remediated by a system of oxidating the ferrous content in the water.[132][133] In the North York Moors National Park, remediation ponds have been created at Six Howe and Clitherbeck, which have helped to reduce the iron pollution in local watercourses.[134]
Progressive closure of the mines also led to mass unemployment; Skinningrove was a very small fishing village, fairly isolated from the rest of Cleveland when the ironstone boom arrived. After closure of the mines, unemployment levels surged.[135] The miners' livelihoods were also affected by the slump in the early 1930s; one author noted that those who took part in the Jarrow March, were struck by an unemployment rate of 70%, in the East Cleveland ironstone communities, this was nearer 90%.[136]
The closure of the ironstone mines also left a legacy of subsidence, which unlike the coal industry, had no official framework for compensation or remediation.[137] The spoil tip at Kilton remains, and in 1990, was the subject of a public inquiry into whether the tip should be reclaimed. However, the inspector found that it "...was now a uniquely recognisable industrial archaeological relic in East Cleveland...[and] its retention far outweighed the benefits of its removal."[138]
In 2017, a four-year project was started to preserve the remains and provide better access to the historic sites at Rosedale and Warren Moor. The project was allocated £3.8 million, and would also involve the protection of wildlife habitats on previous ironstone workings.[139] Bridges on the original section of the Whitby to Pickering Railway between beck Hole and Grosmont, were renovated in 2020, with new boards by the site of Esk Valley Mine. This was done as part of the Land of Iron project.[70]
In 1983, the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum was opened near to the Skinningrove Steelworks in a former ironstone drift mine. The museum also offers the opportunity for people to tour the drift part of the mine.[140][141]
A monument to those who worked in the ironstone industry was unveiled in Skelton in April 2019. The sculpture is of three miners and is titled "The Spirit of East Cleveland".[142]
The mine buildings on the surface of Skelton Park pit are the most numerous of those which are listed with Historic England. These include the fanhouse,[143] the main engine house,[144] the powerhouse,[145] the provender house,[146] the secondary winding engine[147] and the workshops.[148] Other listed structures at other locations include: