Show on map On Saturday 14th of May there will be another opportunity to explore the surface remains of ironstone mining at Upleatham with local author and ironstone mining expert Simon Chapman.
The meeting place is the car park at the west end of the woods, just off Grewgrass Lane, at 1pm. The walking is reasonably level and dry, unless the monsoon arrives in which case it might be a little muddy in places.
Show on map The message tree is a hawthorn. Before the park was create a Sailors Trod ran from Newport to North Ormesby.
Â
Its said that sailors left messages for each other under a piece of ironstone in the tree, which is still there with the tree having grown around it.
Â
I like the story, but having checked the first OS map of the area the only footpath seems to co-incide with the one currently running through the centre of the park with this location being in the middle of a field. Although there’s then a 30 year gap until the next OS maps when the park is fully layed out so its possible the footpath moved.
UPDATE 23/11/2011 :
Prompted by Mikes comments I overlayed the first OS map onto Google Earth by aligning points that still exist today, this shows the path running east-west exactly where Mike says south of the Longlands Club
This also puts the path further north in the park than I originally thought, but it still doesn’t run next to the tree.
Things are changing on a daily basis, so i’m recording anything I notice from now on.
Las Vegas Amusements have closed, become a “Virtual Shop” and had the signage removed
Tyne Tees Amusments is currently behind scaffolding and looks unlikely to re-emerge in this form.
Redcar Fire Station is currently being heavily modified with a new community centre being built onto the front.
The raised area between the Regent and the old site of Leos has been completely removed in preparation for the new sea defences.
Â
Show on map The Sir James Knott is an Oakley Class Lifeboat which was built in 1963 and served in Cullercoats and Anstruther before coming to Redcar between 1972 and 1985.
 
After leaving Redcar the boat was part of the reserve fleet serving at Scarborough, Anstruther and Newcastle Co. Down. In total she was called out 122 times and saved 81 lives before becoming a museum exhibit in the early 1990s.
Show on map Other than the nice view, I’m not totally convinced the benefit of this bench by the old railway track a good distance away from any of the actual ironstone mining sites. Personally I think the money would have been better spent on consolidation work at any of the three sets of calcining kilns that are crumbling away.
Hopefully the poem and reliefs of miners popping out of the top of Rosedale Chimney are by school children too.
Show on map Keld Hole is an attractive waterfall falling over much the same geology as the nearly one at Roxby Mill
It probably doesnt get many visitors as its below the footpath and difficult to approach.
Show on map Until recently this post was hidden in heavy undergrowth, but it looks like the area is being cleared and the post has already taken some heavy damage.
I suspect the site is about to be completely lost, so visit soon if you want to see it. The inside of the post is currently accessible but its wet and not in great condition
Show on map Scaling Dam is unmissable, it was built in 1958 and apparently decomission in 1995 (which was news to me)
A short distance away in Scaling is the Filter House, which still looked like it was maintained by Northumbria Water despite being a little tatty.An aerial view shows a number of overgrown settling ponds to the west.
Show on map My second abandoned mill of the day, in a beautiful but I imagine rarely visited setting. The walls of the buildings are still standing to a fair height and a set of steps is very prominent.
The mill is located next to an impressive waterfall.
 
I cannot find any old images of mill, although it was painted by John Syer in the 1800s
Show on map My copy of “Industrial Archaeology of North East England” from 1974 reports Scaling Mill as being intact with much of the gear still in site, sadly this is no longer the case in 2011. A weir and mill race running towards the mill can still be easily identified. A photo can be found here
 
The actual location of mill is little more that a few foundations now, although a small outbuilding is still standing and in the stream there does appear to be a cutting next to wall which could have housed a waterwheel.
Some ruined farm buildings are nearby but away from the stream, they don’t look like they will last much longer either judging by the crack in the end wall.
A piece of long abandoned farm machinery is also hidden in the undergrowth.
