Myself and other members of the Cleveland Mining Heritage Society also cleared the location of the early Cookes ventilator where we removed undergrowth from the masonery.
As a reward for helping out, we were allowed to look into the drift which is not open to the public.Inside is a hole in the wall which was opened when the museum was first developed, this leads over a flooded shaft. This would have been blocked then ventilation moved to other machinery.
A second short shaft also goes upwards, into the back of the mine recreation part of the museum.
There also a small bypass tunnel, to get you past the machinery when it was in use.
Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum, More Work
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What a fascinating discovery! Are there detailed plans of the remaining parts of the site available?
I’m sure the mining museum must have some, but none i’m aware of in a public place.
There are ‘Plans of Abandonment’ showing the extent of all the Cleveland Ironstone Mines.at Teesside Archives. Another of my cataloguing triumphs!
Great info. I’m doing some research based on Rotary steam engines and pumps (including air pumps) – of the latter, Cookes ventilator was a fairly successful design – 1868 or thereabouts.