Alum production occurred at Kettleness from 1727 until 1871. This has radically altered the appearance of the area.

The original Alum house at beach level was destroyed by a huge landslide in 1829, what now appear to be cliffs are the face of the quarry where the sandstone over the shale has been removed.

The remains of the second alum house are on a flat area on the west side of the works, foundations remain and jet mines can be found under the platform which holds the building. The whole area is covered is loose blown shale where little grows.
 

The foundations of another building can be seen on the eastern edge of the site.

To the south of the building are a number of steeping pits which are slowly being lost over the cliff edge.

The remains of stone conduits used to transport liquids are also visible in the south east.

To the north of the steeping pits is the top of a cistern, again collapsing over the cliff edge.

There are a huge number of features around the site although they are often difficult to interpret due to being buried by the constantly shifting shale, they are however extensively covered in English Heritage survey AI/24/2003

This structure was unearthed by the York University Cave and Pothole Club back in 2006. They called it a mine and while there are jet mines below the Alum House, this is at a much higher level.

To me the construction looks more like some sort of storage tank and it appears to end with a wall rather than a collapse. Also the suspended wooden planks which would allow access above the liquid below.

The easiest way to avoid a plummet down the cliffs is to approach from Boulby and continue straight on where the Cleveland Way turns sharply uphill.

The first remains to be encountered are the foundations of a reservoir, theres also a large metal tub, although I cannot say if its contemporary.

 

Adjacent to this is a small length of tunnel which has collapsed a short way in.

 

All over the site are numerous smaller conduits that must have been used to move liquids around.

 

The path then passes directly between the bases of two circular cisterns.

Up towards the base of the cliffs the top of a short waterlogged tunnel can be seen to the right of a retaining wall, this only travels through the bank and appears to be for drainage.

 

The next area you come across is the series of huge stone retaining walls visible from the top of the cliffs on the Cleveland Way.

 

Huge boulders from the cliffs litter the area above the works.

Two small tunnels can be seem running through the remains of the alum clamps where the stone was burnt for months on end, it has been suggested they were to aid the process.

 

Towards the edge of the cliff a tunnel runs around an area of an old landslip re-emerging some distance away, The regular blocks suggest some sort of trough or conduit was originally present.

 

A smaller conduit joins the tunnel at one point, and somewhat mysteriously a pretty teapot sits in one corner.

 

Between Cold Moor and Cringle Moor is a large bright red scar on a field.

 

On closer inspection it appears to be a large amount of burnt shale, very different in colour to the dozens of shale tips in the area.

Back in 2008 I originally thought this could be the remains of an Alum Clamp which was an early stage in the Alum making process,  or that it may just have caught fire naturally

In 2013 I came across a book which describes jet shale being burnt at Cringle Moor to provide material for road making.

About 50m up the slope there is a recent collapse in the ground which has since been covered. This was a collapse into jet workings associated with the burnt tips.