Iron Ladle and Scale Car, Kirkleatham Museum

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Hidden away in a staff car park and with no information board.

Iron was poured into this vessel and taken to the caster plant and tipped into “pigs

Kirkleatham Old Hall Musuem  Kirkleatham Old Hall Musuem

The other unusual item is apparently a scale car from the Cleveland Iron Plant. It picked up the charge for the blast furnace before dumping it in the furnace hopper cars.

Kirkleatham Old Hall Musuem Kirkleatham Old Hall Musuem

Kirkleatham Garden Bastion

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The garden ‘defences’ are believed to have been built around 1740 by James Gibbs

Kirkleatham Bastion Kirkleatham Bastion

Unfortunately many other garden features were lost recently. A Pavillion Temple of the same date also by Gibbs demolished in 1953 and a Pigeon Cote by John Carr demolished in 1964 (Although I believe a modern garden feature by the roadside is a homage to it)

Kirkleatham Hall Stables

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The stables are the only surviving part of the Hall which stood on the site of the current modern school, they have stood moth-balled for all of my lifetime and must be in a poor state internally by now despite being a Grade II listed building.

Kirkleatham Hall Stables Kirkleatham Hall Stables

Kirkleatham Hall Stables Kirkleatham Hall Stables

Kirkleatham Hall Stables Kirkleatham Hall Stables

An interesting look circular tower can be seen from the outside.

The Local Development Framework released today specifically mentions the regeneration of Kirkleatham so lets hope it delivers.
The Core Strategy recognises the importance of addressing these issues to conserve the historic environment at Kirkleatham, and the aims of the Spatial Strategy for the Redcar Area include safeguarding and enhancing the conservation area, listed buildings and historic parkland as well as improving visitor facilities at Kirkleatham village. “

Belmont Ironstone Mine

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The second phase of working at Belmont started in 1907-1908 after the original working there ceased around 1886.

Hunters Hill Farm consists of a large range of building which constituted the stables and workshops of the mine, close to the road is a huge concrete wall which one supported one end of the tipping gantry where railway wagons were loaded.

Belmont Ironstone Mine, Guisborough  Belmont Ironstone Mine Tipping Gantry, Guisborough

Belmont Ironstone Mine Tipping Gantry, Guisborough  Belmont Ironstone Mine Tipping Gantry, Guisborough

Continuing a short way up the path you first reach the collapsed drift entrance with an electrical sub-station next to it, the remains of ceramic insulators can be seen in its back wall.
Belmont Ironstone Mine Drift, Guisborough  Belmont Ironstone Mine Substation, Guisborough

Belmont Ironstone Mine Substation, Guisborough

A little further up the hill again stands a powder house now filled with earth.

Belmont Ironstone Mine Powder House, Guisborough  Belmont Ironstone Mine Powder House, Guisborough

Belmont Ironstone Mine Powder House, Guisborough

I also noticed that the nearby allotments have a vegetable bed constructed from Pease bricks, although as Pease never ran Belmont they could just be anomalous
Belmont Ironstone Mine, Pease Brick

Victoria Ironworks, Wreckhills, Runswick Bay

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Victoria Ironworks were built between 1856 and 1858, the site is located on a geological fault and this lead to a landslip that destroyed most of the works on 22nd March 1858, only a couple of months after it started production.

w1.JPG w2.JPG

The works were rebuilt and stuggled on under various owners for a few year before closing.

Two arches from calcining kilns can still be found on the cliffs

Wreck Hills Kilns, Runswick Bay Wreck Hills Kilns, Runswick Bay Wreck Hills Kilns, Runswick Bay

Wreck Hills Kilns, Runswick Bay

The site today is difficult to reach and overgrown, the shale cliffs continue to collapse and be eroded. There is a mine shaft filled with water at the cliff edge, it shows the speed of erosion as this was recorded as 90ft from the edge in 1862.

The remain of Victoria Harbour can be identified on the shore by a line of stone.

Wreck Hills Kilns, Runswick Bay  

Ironstone Mine, Air Raid Shelter

I’m afraid I’m keeping the exact location of this one off the site.

Its clearly been forgotten by the local kids due to the lack of any recent litter/beer cans, its only a few hundred meters from a playground and the condition of the place is very poor looking liable to collapse in places, so I don’t want to put it back on their radar.
Air Raid Shelter in Mine Spoil Air Raid Shelter in Mine Spoil

Air Raid Shelter in Mine Spoil Air Raid Shelter in Mine Spoil Air Raid Shelter in Mine Spoil
There are three main areas inside, with several open vertical shafts running to the surface as well as two side entrances.
If you think about ironstone mines still open during the second world war, you may deduce where this is located.