Hidden Teesside

Perhaps one of reasons this website ever came to exist, as a small child I came here many times and always wanted to find out what was down the tunnels.

So I finally took the opportunity to don my wellies and head torch and have a look, pictures aren’t fantastic as I only had a pocket camera with me.

The largest tunnel is perhaps 25m long and turns underneath the railway embankment before emerging on the other side.
  
A second short tunnel leads into someone private garden, looks like they have a personal waterfall.

Nearby the main track also leads under the railway embankment, the bridge is surprisingly large suggesting this route used to be a lot more important than it is now.

I’m not sure why the weir exists, old maps seem to suggest it probably only arrived with the railway, and I can find no evidence of there ever being a building on the site, although the place always gave the impression to be there had been something here.

There a photo of the same area in the 1960s here

Some time between my last photos on 20/04/08 and 05/05/08 the portal of the tunnel completely collapsed as the metal bracing seem to have finally snapped. Just glad I wasn’t underneath taking a photo at the time !

Access is still possible although there are still a few dangerous stones overhanging.

A long overdue return with a decent torch and decent camera.

The Kettleness portal is looking much closer to collapse than ever before, with a large amount of soil falling through from above and large stones hanging.

Although once inside this end of the tunnel constructed from large blocks still looks very solid, although there was some bowing of the walls and collapsed layers of brick in certain areas towards the brick-built Sandsend end.

There are four ventilation shafts along the length of the tunnel, which seem to come in large and small varieties. All are capped, with fallen bricks and water cascading down them.

There are two escape shafts which run from the bottom of air shafts, although both looked extremely muddy due to the water from the shafts so we didn’t venture down them.

There are some impressive mineral formations lining the walls of the tunnel.

Also stalactites growing from the roof.

Dozens of alcoves line the full length of the tunnel, with the occasional bit of amusing graffiti.

Exiting at the Sandsend portal is a small climb, although once you’re jumped over the wall there’s no easy way to go back.

After a years break I made a return to the Kettleness Tunnel to get a few more photos, the condition of the tunnel hasnt changed noticeably.

We ventured into the escape tunnel about halfway along for the first time, after a short distance daylight becomes visible at the end.

Theres an interesting variety of coloured minerals leaching through the brickwork in places.

The 16 arches of the old kilns are as promentant in the valley as the new kilns also being around 90m long.

There are 4 kilns with 4 arches each, the arches are about 4-5m wide.

The upper parts of the kilns have gradually collapsed and are spilling out through the arches.

Above the arches is a ventilation chimney associated with the mine, which stands 7.5m high with a small door at the base allowing a view inside.

The three large bays of the calcinating kilns are about 90m long and can be easily seen from all around the valley.

The iron ore mined here was carbonated which required calcining before smelting.

In one of the bays the retaining wall which looks to have been anchored with large wires has collapsed, the faces of wall were once lined with wrought iron which was removed when the mine was abandoned.

Ironstone and coal would loaded into the top and calcined ore drawn out from the bottom, it has been estimated that each kiln could produce around 2000 tons of calcined ore a week using about 80 tons of coal.

t has been estimated that each kiln could produce around 2000 tons of calcined ore a week using about 80 tons of coal.In a more complete bay the top courses of fire bricks are balancing precariously on small pins.

While there are four small tunnels / flues entering the faces of the bay at the base.

The remains of a house complete with chimney and fireplace still stands by the track before New Kilns.

There are substantial remains of a row of cottages above the New Kilns, known by some as Black Houses although I think that might just relate to buildings closer to the main track.

The mines and railway closed between 1926 and 1929, so presumably the cottages were abandoned at the same time.

Directly adjacted to the cottages are a block of workshops.

A single wall remains by the side of the track, the stucture once held a water tank.

It can be easily located walking down from the Lion Inn

The culvert tunnels through a sizeable enbankment at the head of the valley, and carries the River Seven under the railway.

The tunel must have been built some time before 1865 when the line opened, but is still in very good condition

Sparrow Lane followed the line of what is now Pytchley Road, with the bridge passing under the dismanted Guisborough and Brotton railway line.

The North-West edge of the bridge appears to be present in the undergrowth, with an arch visible just under ground, the top row of stone poke out just below the level of the adjacent path.

More stonework is visible at the top of steps on the south side, although the main area on the south is currently inaccessible due to thick undergrowth.

I would guess the bridge was filled-in when estate to the south was built, although i have no pictures or written proof as yet.

Part of the Middlesbrough & Guisborough Railway the station was closed in 1964 when line closed, the station building is now a private house with the line running into the garden after this platform.

When I last visited the Sandsend end was locked, but the Kettleness end was open (although requiring a journey through the shorter Kettleness tunnel to reach it)

The track between the two is very overgrown and the tunnel portal in poor condition, the seaward side is angled and looks like it may collapse within a few years.

A sizable heap of mud has washed through the roof which is held up by a metal arch, although its hard to tell how long that has been in place.

Inside the tunnel appeared more stable, although we only ventured a little way due to time constraints.

I need to return and take more photos as this visit predated me having a DSLR.

Rikj has some amazing shots of the rest of the tunnel on Flickr

The viaduct over Skelton Beck was originally part of the Whitby, Redcar and Middlesbrough Union Railway.

The line closed in 1958 and now carries goods trains to the Boulby Potash mines.

Part of the coastal line to Whitby, closed in the late 50’s.

The 250m long tunnel is gently curved, still in very good condition internally and open at both end, the collapsed section is just a small side tunnel and may well just be back-filled escape tunnel.
You emerge on to a very overgrown trackbed on the cliffs edge, i’ll continue along to the Sandsend tunnel another day.