Skelton History Group Walk – Falling Foss & Littlebeck

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Thursday 9th May – (20) Falling Foss & Littlebeck

Distance: 2½ miles; Ascent 620ft; Duration: 2½-3 hours

We meet at 10:30am at the Falling Foss car park near Midge Hall tea rooms. This short walk takes us down through the valley to the village of Littlebeck, where we turn about and retrace our steps. Unfortunately, the topography means that the route is downhill out and uphill back. If you need something to keep you going on the return leg, just keep those cream cakes at Midge Hall Tea Rooms in mind! This is a pleasant walk even without any heritage input, but this valley holds a hidden secret: it was the site of an alum works.

A charge of £2 per person will be made on each walk to offset the costs of Insurance. Please wear appropriate footwear and have clothing suitable for the likely weather conditions on that day. On the longer walks, it is suggested that you bring food and drink as we usually stop between midday and 1:00pm for a lunch break.

Further details can be had from: skeltonhistorygroup@gmail.com or by contacting Peter Appleton (Tel: 01287 281752)



Spirit of East Cleveland, Skelton

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This new statue in triibute to local ironstone miners, was unveiled on 6th April 2019 by children from Skelton Primary and Craig Hornby, director of ‘A Century in Stone’

Spirit of East Cleveland, Skelton

The project was organised by the Friends of Skelton Community Orchard – FOSCO with the sculpture being created by Bill Harling.

Spirit of East Cleveland, Skelton
The miner on the right is carrying a midge lamp and holding a Blackett-Hutton rotary drill.
Spirit of East Cleveland, Skelton
The central miner is checking the roof with a long bar for any loose ironstone waiting to fall.
Spirit of East Cleveland, Skelton
The miner on the left is loading a large chuck of ironstone
Spirit of East Cleveland, Skelton
A rat watches over the scene from the rear.

Skelton History Group Walk – Saltburn Woods

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Wednesday 17th April – (30) Saltburn Woods

Distance: 2½ miles; Ascent 420ft; Duration: 2½-3 hours

Meet at 10:30am in the Cat Nab car park. This walk takes us up through the wooded valley to the railway viaduct. The heritage includes the long-gone, but much loved, Halfpenny Bridge and the remains of Marske Mill. The woods will be full of birdsong and wild flowers.

A charge of £2 per person will be made on each walk to offset the costs of Insurance. Please wear appropriate footwear and have clothing suitable for the likely weather conditions on that day. On the longer walks, it is suggested that you bring food and drink as we usually stop between midday and 1:00pm for a lunch break.

Further details can be had from: skeltonhistorygroup@gmail.com or by contacting Peter Appleton (Tel: 01287 281752)



Skelton History Group Walk – Skelton In View

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Tuesday 19th March – Skelton In View

Distance: 1½ miles; Ascent 200ft; Duration: 1½-2 hours

Meet at 10:30am at Skelton Methodist Community Church, Castle Grange, Skelton Green. This walk uses country lanes and part of the Cleveland Way to take a broad overview of the wealth and variety of heritage that can be seen in and around Skelton.

A charge of £2 per person will be made on each walk to offset the costs of Insurance. Please wear appropriate footwear and have clothing suitable for the likely weather conditions on that day. On the longer walks, it is suggested that you bring food and drink as we usually stop between midday and 1:00pm for a lunch break.

Further details can be had from: skeltonhistorygroup@gmail.com or by contacting Peter Appleton (Tel: 01287 281752)

Skelton Water Trough / Cistern

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Just at edge of Skelton, on the Guisborough side, stands a water trough, presumably for when people were more likely to arrive in the village by horse.

Skelton Well / Water Trough / Cistern
Water Trough

Rather than being a well, it looks like the troughs were fed from a cistern immediately above on the hillside, which still remains despite being missing a door.

Skelton Well / Water Trough / Cistern
Cistern

The cistern is currently dry, but a pipe is visible coming in from the wall and a couple of tide-marks can be seen on the stones.

Skelton Well / Water Trough / Cistern
Inside cistern

Skelton Stamp Vending Machine

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First appearing around 1921, by the 1970’s there were over 50,000 Stamp Vending Machines in the UK, most machines were removed around 2001, but this one seems to have been forgotten.

Stamp Machine, Skelton

The wonderful thing about the internet is you can usually find an expert on something you know absolutely nothing about  !

This document on British Stamp Vending Machine History tell us the machine was made by Sterners around 1981

Saturday 18th August – Airy Hill and Cleveland Street

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Skelton History Group

Saturday 18th August – Airy Hill and Cleveland Street
Distance: 3 miles; Ascent 285ft; Duration 2-2½ hours Today’s starting point is outside Skelton Methodist Community Church , Castle Grange, Skelton Green, TS12 2DN at 10:30am. There is a small car park at the rear of the building, otherwise at the roadside. The route takes us along Airy Hill Lane, with fine views across East Cleveland and the Margrove Valley. At the plantation, we leave the lane and take to field paths to drop down, through the woodland, emerging on the Cleveland Street path in the Margrove Valley. This we follow to Boosbeck Road before walking on the footpath back into Skelton Green. The heritage to be seen includes many different industrial sites, a disused railway, and the site of Heartbreak Hill.

A charge of £2 per person will be made on each walk to offset the costs of Insurance. Please wear appropriate footwear and have clothing suitable for the likely weather conditions on that day. It is suggested that you bring food and drink as we usually stop between midday and 1:00pm for a lunch break.

Further details can be had from: skeltonhistorygroup@gmail.com or by contacting Peter Appleton (Tel: 01287 281752)

Demolition of Hollybush Hotel, Skelton

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The snow looks a little out of place as this photo was taken back in late February 2018.
Hollybush Skelton Demolition
This was the final days of the Hollybush before the site was cleared to make way for a care home.

Some stained glass windows with the pub name on were purchased by a friend and some historic photos from the walls retrieved by a member of the Skelton History Group.

Saturday 30th June – Medieval Skelton

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Skelton History Group
Saturday 30th June – Medieval Skelton

Distance: 2 miles; Ascent 255ft; Duration 3-3½ hours For this walk we meet at10:30am outside Skelton Methodist Community Church, Castle Grange, Skelton Green, TS12 2DN. It has been scheduled to coincide with the archaeological investigation into the medieval borough of Skelton, and we will pass the site of the dig. We will also visit Old All Saints church before returning (mostly uphill, I’m afraid!) to our start point using some ancient tracks and pathways.

The pace of the walks is leisurely, with regular stops to admire the view (especially when going uphill!) and to hear about the heritage around us.

A charge of £2 per person will be made on each walk to offset the costs of Insurance. Please wear appropriate footwear and have clothing suitable for the likely weather conditions on that day. It is suggested that you bring food and drink as we usually stop between midday and 1:00pm for a lunch break.

Further details can be had from: skeltonhistorygroup@gmail.com or by contacting Peter Appleton (Tel: 01287 281752)

Skelton Community Mosaic

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This mosaic was installed in September 2017 as part of the Skelton Townscape Heritage Project 

It was researched, designed and produced by the combined efforts of Skelton Villages Civic Pride, Redcar & Cleveland Council’s Community Development staff, the Skelton History Group, pupils at Skelton Primary School and Community artists Helen Jane Gaunt and Derek Mosey.

Skelton Through The Ages 1086 – 2017

      • 1086: The Domesday Book records the manor of Skelton
      • Arms of de Brus: Robert de Brus built the first castle in 12th Century
      • Skelton Castle: building the present castle began in 1788
      • Medieval agriculture: farming was an important part of village life for centuries
      • The old Parish Church: built 1785/86 on the foundations of the 13th Century church
      • A miner and his lamp: the ironstone mining boom in Skelton began in the 1860s

    Skelton Mosaic

    • The High Street and a new Parish Church followed in the 1870s and 1880s
    • A Cleveland Bay horse, England’s oldest breed, pulling a milk cart
    • A Swift flying overhead: their screams are a typical sound of summer
    • The War Memorial: commemorating the dead of two World Wars
    • The Cleveland Way: opened in May 1969
    • The Whipping Post: public punishment on the village green

    Skelton Mosaic

    • Ringrose Community Orchard: a new development, the heritage of the future
    • Children dance round the Maypole in front of the old Infants’ School
    • A sword dancer performing the Long Sword dance
    • 2017 – Planted tubs and a new tree reflect the latest changes

    Skelton Mosaic