Hidden Teesside

The Wesleyen Chapel built in 1839 is next to the footpath which crosses the Esk via the stepping stones

If you look over the wall there next to the side door, there are a series of levels carved into the wall showing the heights of large floods.

The 1930 flood washed away bridges at Egton and Glasdale.

On the day I visited the Esk was swollen with melting snow and the stepping stones were covered, but the chapel is still 50m from the water which shows the extent of those floods.

Some people say this is a First World War jetty, it may well have been reused / rebuilt then but the 1894 OS maps already shows a tramway running from the powder wharf in the direction of the gare, joining up with the tramway on which sail bogies were also known to run. This would tie in nicely with 1880’s submarine mine loading complex on the gare which presumably needed a supply of explosives.
   

The small inlet immediately to the south east is known as Powder Hole.

This mosaic by Derek Mosey, Helen Gaunt and the village community depicts various aspects of Skinningrove such as the mine and the “merman” legened, it was erected during 2009

The small park also contains the Sylvania Anchor, which was used to help refloat a ship stranded at Skinningrove for six months, it was retrieved from the sea in 2001 after spending 100 years buried.

‘Mare et Ferro’ - Sea and Iron, granted 10th October 1922 (Coatham Enclosure was built in the 1930s)

The heavily eroded parts at the top are iron ingots and a blast furnace, they can be seen better in this printed version

The stone is mentioned in the first preamble of the Duncombe Estate from 1642, other than that very little is known of its origins or the reason for the carving.

One very unusual artifact in the Whitby Museum is a Hand of Glory.

Reputed to be the hand of a hanged man which gives the owner the powers of a master thief.
I’ll leave the detailed descriptions of the item and its magical powers to the museum and wikipedia

The “Docks” are actually a set of six water troughs beside the road

The origin of their name is unclear, the only explanation around seems to be that a “wag” named them that (not the footballers wife type)

Widely considered to be a whipping post, but I have heard it suggested it may be nothing more than an old sign post.

I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.

Nearby are some reconstructions of an ironstone tub and kibble.

The Wainstones are a huge natural rock formation, very popular with climbers

There are vast formations such as one resembling a Sphinx head (note climber in for scale to the bottom right of the photo below right)

There are inscriptions all over the rocks, from very modern graffiti to much older beautifully carved names and dates.

There is an inscription somewhere which I failed to find and photograph that was alleged by antiquarians to be a memorial inscription to a slain Danish chieftain, although other explanations were later given that sounds a lot more plausible.

This attractive packhorse bridge crosses the Esk near Glaisdale

The structure bears the date 1619 and the initials T.F. for Thomas Ferris

There are a couple of stories about the bridge, so just choose the one you prefer.

Lost love and the Spanish Armada  or less fancifully a tramp

The Cliff Lift itself is hardly “hidden” being one of the well known and unique features of Saltburn, opened in 1884 this is the oldest remaining water-balance cliff lift in Britain.

Next to the upper station of the lift is a winding wheel that was replaced in 1998

Now that getting out on evenings is once again an option, I hope to be posting a bit more on the site.

I’ve also added a new feature that allows you to see all the sites listed in Google Earth if you have it installed.

Currently the plaque says :-

“In the early nineteenth century Mr Joseph Brown piped water from this spring to a reservoir in the grounds of Whitby Abbey, to provide a clean and reliable water supply to the east side of Whitby”

Apparently a few years ago there was a different plaque. which read.

T’awd Abba Well
Also known as the old Boiling Well

Lang centuries aback
This wor’t awd Abba Well
Saint Hilda veiled i’ black
Lang centuries aback
Supped frey it an no lack
All t sisterhood as well
Lang centuries aback
This wor’t awd Abba Well

Not the best photos in the world, as I only had a mobile phone with me.

Update January 2009

Sheila Welch has kindly provided some slides of the well taken in the 1970s by her father George Towndrow, these show the original plaque still in place.

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.

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.

A short series of posts inspired by looking through my older printed photos, before going digital and before this website existed.

This spot is where Eller Beck flows through a ravine under a bridge on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

The stone commemorates Sydney Porritt who drowned aged 16 in 1908, in the photo my friends are doing their best to re-create that moment.

A short series of posts inspired by looking through my older printed photos, before going digital and before this website existed.

The few remains of a burnt out fire engine are located just South East of the Blue Man-i’-th’-Moss standing stone.

I believe it was caught trying to put out a moorland fire some time in the 1970s.

A new year contribution from my Whitby correspondent Peter Craggs (mention my name and you may get an extra sausage if staying at his B&B)

Legend has it that an archery contest took place between Robin Hood and Little John. Arrows were shot from Whitby Abbey into the area known as Whitby Laithes (about 2km so believe that if you will)

Two stones mark the positions of the arrows, although they are 1903 replacements rather than the originals, the fields on either side are still named as Robin Hood’s and Little John’s.

Much more detail on the story is given here, with some claiming links back to Robin Goodfellow and Bronze Age standing stones.

Duck Bridge was originally known as Danby Castle Bridge (the remains of which are 500m away)

It is probably medieval in original and was rebuilt in 1717 by George Duck of Danby. It was possible to drive across until a ford was built a few years ago.

The Neville Coat of Arms can be seen on the parapet, and a set of stepping stones run beside the bridge.

The bridge into Waterfall Park in Great Ayton is dedicated to five ironstone miners who lost their lives in the First World War.

The under manager George Whitbread worked at Ayton Monument rather than Ayton Banks.

Over the bridge is a cast iron Victorian Urinal, it was originally one of three, it moved here in 1998 from Station Road.