Hidden Teesside

Photos from 2003 before the guard house building was badly damaged by fire.

The mound behind the house holds a two storey ROTOR R2 bunker built in 1951, and destroyed by fire in 1958. The underground areas reached through the red door in the floor are flooded and contaminated with asbestos.

Further info on ‘RAF Goldsborough’ (’JEX’) R2 CHEL

Update Dec 2007 :

Some more photos showing the badly damaged guard house in late 2007

Update Feb 2009 :

Geoff Pallett has kindly provided me with a picture of the site taken in the early 60’s, he can be contacted directly at geoffrey.m3uxb@virgin.net, there is also much discussion of the site in the comments section.

Continuing todays theme of recently demolished buildings, in Jan 2009 the old college was demolished after completion of the shiny new one

I don’t think the 1963 structure will ever be remembered for being a beautiful lost building, but i’m sure lots of people will have fond memories of their time there.

I visited this one a couple of months back for the pillbox nearby, it was in pretty bad shape already heavily vandalised and gutted by fire.

Some time in early February it finally seems to have been demolished to make way for a new health village (whoppee)

The village of Warrenby was pretty much wiped from the face of the earth in the late 1970s, although people lived there as late as 1983.

The Warrenby Hotel remained standing and during my childhood was the Turners bus depot and in more recent times a car workshop.

On the evening of Friday 13th February 2009 a Morrisons truck reversed into the building which brought about a major collapse, it looks certain the building will now have to be demolished completely.

This small stretch of wall is built from the tuyeres, which allowed air into the Bessemer converters of the Eston Steelworks.

The railway that ran along the embankment served the Eston Ironstone mines.

Outside the council offices on Fabian Road are two ironstone obelisks, reported to be 2.5 tonnes in weight. 
The inscriptions say ‘Cleveland Ironstone Eston Mine’

A 2004 news report that says the pillars were moved to the site of the old hospital, so perhaps there are two more ?

South Bank’s Millennium Green was officially opened by the Bishop of Whitby on Thursday, April 18th 2002.

A steel doorway exists created by local artist Andrew McKeown, symbolising this was once the site of houses.

Adjacent to South Bank station are more waymarkers and gates for the Teesdale Way

Along with boots also seen at Lord McGowan Bridge are a number of gates.

The first appears to depict a football games, the second Cromwell Road Primary School, the third looks like the lighthouse at South Gare and the final one a train and ironstone miner.

Commemorative plaque for 60 years of Queen Victoria reign in 1897, now located on Queen Street even though the sign below clearly says James Terrace. 

  There is a second identical but unpainted plaque on a house on High Street West.

And as pointed out below, a third on Westbourne Grove which actually looks it migth be the original colours.

The 265m long French aircraft carrier Clemenceau arrived on the Tees on Sunday 8th Feburary 2009, drawing a very large crowd at South Gare.

It was towed from Brest by the tug Anglian Earl which moved it into position to be dismantled by Able UK on the North bank if the Tees.

I really have no idea what this short tunnel/shelter just below the cliff top is for, it seems too neat and too short to be mine related. To me it gives the impression of being a shelter from where the view can be admired. It looks to have been cut by hand.

Does anyone have any idea of its age and purpose ?

Just a short distance away to the north, this unusual item is visible by the side of the Cleveland Way, the metal part still freely rotates and there appear to be the remain of powerful springs attached.

It is some distance away from both the Sandsend and Kettleness tunnels.

UPDATE : Dave Richardson has kindly come up with an answer for the second one, its a Motley Mount for Twin Vickers “K” Machine Guns for light anti aircraft defense, there were originally four as the Goldsborough Cliff Radar Station was here from 1940 to 1945.
The pictures here and here backup the point, cheers Dave.