Show on mapThe most prominant building on site is the square compressor & haulage engine house.
 
The attached upcast winding house is situated adjacent to the capped shaft (216 feet deep – capped c.1985), a guide roller can still be seen in the slot through which the cables travelled.Â
 
 
The wooden stable blocks and unique for the area, and its pretty amazing they havn’t been demolished or burnt down when you see the general state of the site and people who hang around there.
 
Numerous other buildings can be seen around the site, which is remarkably complete.
 
 
(note the weather wasn’t wildly changable that day, the photos are taken about sixth months apart)
I walked past this site a number of years ago. It can be seen from the disused railway between Slapewath and Boosbeck and at the time appeared to be in use as a farm. It appears to be a lot more run down now and possibly disused.
Some years ago in the early 1990’s there was and exprression of interest by Cleveland County Council (and of which i was a member of at thar time) in acquiring these buildings so they could be preserved in situ as they were and as a ‘living museum’ My recollections were that the tenant farmer and the landowners were not interested one bit. I did look round at the time and the buildings did seem to be in a fair condition, but quite a few winters have come and gone since.
I should have added that in addition to the above site, the old County Council was also interested in a similar management arrangement for the Park Pit site. Alas, the attitude of the fsarmer and the lanodowner was as with the South Skelton site (I seem to reacll that the landowner was Skelton and Gilling Estates although i stand to be corrected)
Skelton & Gilling are notorious in Skelton & Brotton area for riding roughshod over any idea that won’t make them silly amounts of money. To the extent that they would rather leave things to go to rack and ruin than earn anything at all.
It seems a shame. I have often wanted to visit Skelton Park having driven past it countless times, but have been put off by the fact that permission is required and the whole site is on private land. I suppose the only way such sites can be explored (without a lot of money being spent) is if they lie on a properly designated footpath, such as Lumpsey.
Don’t tell Skelton & Gilling, but if you go down the path that leads off from Back Lane, Skelton Green, you come to the rear of the park Pit complex, and povided no-one’s around you can have a nose round. That path BTW carried on along the hard standing of the old railway track that cnnected Park Pit to the main network near to Waterfall Farm. It is NOT a right of way but it is still well used, and has a good surface most of the way.
Having revisited the site this morning I can confirm that the farmer, who was in tenancy and working the site a few years ago, has definitely gone. The site appears to be unoccupied and falling into disrepair, with little effort being made by the landowner to secure it in any way.
PS there appears to be two shafts on the site, no more than say 80 feet apart. Judging by the size of the caps they must have been considerable in size!
There is a very good post of Skelton Park on the Mine Explorer website. I didn’t know it was such a large site, in such an original state!
By means of an update, we walked past the site yesterday. The timber roofing has now started to collapse and the fencing has all gone. The site is definitely falling into disrepair – I wonder what S & G are going to do with it.
Absolutely nothing would be my bet.
I think you are right Chris – as the site is generally ‘safe’ with both shafts properly capped there appears to be no urgency for S & G to take any action. I think it would be different if there were open shafts or drifts……
I have been looking at the mine managers house on this land and it looks as though you rent the mine area out. So permission would have to come from the house owner. The house for sale actualy comes with a few buildings that were related to this site. If i end up buying it everyone will be welcome to have a look!
Looking at the most recent satellite imagery, it appears the stables complex has sadly been demolished.
Yes, its been a building site for the last two years. Sadly thats what 30-40 years of neglect does.
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