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The third mosaic in the series depicts the arrival of the first train in Saltburn on 17th August 1861
It has some similarities to this photograph, however this is not the event itself as no photographs of that are known to exist.
The mosaic was unveiled on 17th August 2011 by Captain Nigel Pease, the great, great, grandson of Henry Pease. (I would assume thats him on the right in the tall hat)
The building shown in the background is Alpha Place
It’s a pity the artist didn’t look at the photograsph before he did his work. What the heck is that engine supposed to be?
The engine depicted in the mosaic is the Brougham 160.
Could you perhaps clarify this point in your text? The photograph of Alpha Place (above) was not taken on the 17th August 1861. There are no surviving photographs (if indeed any were actually taken) of the first train to arrive at Saltburn. In any case the brickwork appears to have aged as it has been discoloured by soot. I would be very surprised if Pease & Partners would have used anything other than brand new bricks to build their first houses, especially if this was the first site that potential investors would see as they entered the town.
Of course, correction and comments are always more than welcome.
Whilst researching Alpha Place for our forthcoming memorial to Saltburn’s first buildings I have tried to rationalize just why it was built in the first place. It seems odd that a town so meticulously planned would then allow a building to be constructed that effectively traversed the main shopping thoroughfare of Milton St? My only conclusion is that Alpha Place was only intended to be a temporary building. I think that this row of cottages were constructed almost as ‘showhouses’ to demonstrate to mid-range developers how attractive buildings could be constructed with furnace bricks (these are not bricks designed for housebuilding). I would imagine that Saltburn Improvement Company had already taken orders for the main building plots in the town (Hotels & Villas) and now needed houses built within the town framework for those who would service these buildings and the mines at Hob Hill and Huntcliff. Perhaps the first fare-paying passengers into the town were these potential developers on some kind of sales promotion? This would rationalize the lack of photographic evidence in the sense that these speculative builders might not want to be seen to be investing ‘just yet’. This is merely a hypothesis but with nothing to see in the town in 1861 apart from a number of half-finished buildings, one must wonder at the intention of visitors? I imagine that this would be an effective way of bringing investment and building to the town. It obviously worked when look at the kind of building that took place in Saltburn’s early years; After the initial build of the Railway, Hotels and Villas, the next stage of development shows the building of Coral & Garnet St, Stanhope St and ‘Show Terraces’ like Warrior Terrace which shows more than a passing resemblance to Alpha Place. And all in whitebrick of course.
Alpha Place wouldn’t have had white painted window frames. The fashion for this kind of decoration is a product of the Edwardian era, by which time Alpha Place had already been demolished. More likely is that they would have been painted dark green, burgundy or a stained wood colour. Black was often used to give the optical illusion of the windows being made up of one pane of glass, an expensive and highly desirable commodity at the time.