Hidden Teesside

The remains of Ruther Cross now stands amongst houses where Ruthergate once crossed Hutton Lane.

Ruthergate is an ancient trackway which continues south, up through a still visible cutting in Kemplah Woods.

Stephen Sherlock has been investigating this area for many year, the Street House long cairn was excavated in 1979–1981.

The current excavation started in 2004 has turned up Iron Age, Roman and Anglo Saxon finds, theres a detailed explanation of the site in the May/June issue of British Archaelogy.

The open day on 7th September was technically cancelled due to weather conditions, but Stephen was kind enough to show those who still came around the remains of a Roman building that has just been uncovered.

Site where Methodist founder John Welsey preached in 1772 

Donna Cross is a boundary marker between Cold Moor and Cringle Moor.

Only the base and a small length of the upright now remain.

A letter ‘E’ is engraved on the base representing the Emmerson family of Easby Hall, and a letter ‘F’ for the Feversham family of Duncombe Park.

This unusual wheelhead cross right next to road between Rosedale Abbey and Blakey Ridge.

The name may be derived from a local nun Sister Elizabeth.

The Hospital of God was founded by Robert de Stichell, the Bishop of Durham in 1273 to care for poor and elderly people.

The charity runs 63 almshouses in Greatham, amongst them this spectacular listed building.

Virtually nothing remains other a small stone base although the cross was here until 1961

The importance of the site can be seen by the large number of tracks that converge here.

The path was known as the Ernaldsti and ran from Castleton to Guisborough. Both cross and path are named after Ernaldus de Percy, Lord of Kildale

The cross is at the junction of Commondale road with the road from Castleton to Lockwood Beck, although looking around the landscape you can see this has been a major junction long before tarmac roads.

The base of the cross is medieval, the shaft is an 18th century dressed stone replacing the original cross now in the Whitby Museum.

I was happy to see some coins on the top, which is something my grandfather always encouraged me to do as a child.

St Andrews at Upleatham, for years I was told this is the smallest church in Britain, but unfortunately that honour goes to Bremilham Church in Wiltshire at 4m by 3.6m. Upleatham is about 6m by 4m
It is actually the remains of a much larger church as can be seen in this detailed report from the 1970s
Remains of the Lowther Vault exist towards the south-east

This area of the priory is not normally open to the public, but I managed to visit on a Heritage Open Day. The oval avenue of lime trees shows up well on the aerial photos.

One area also contains a large amount of stonework recovered from the priory

Even though this area is not generally open, theres plenty more to see.

More details on the Guisborough Priory Project website

The village of Hinderwell derives its names from this well in the church yard.

St Hilda was the early Christian abbess in Whitby in the 7th century, and the water is still flowing today.
Restored in 1912 by another Hilda, Hilda Palmer of Grinkle, who I believe is the daughter of Sir Charles Palmer

Originally built in the 12th century, in use until 1848 when it was abandoned due to the opening of a new church in Thorpe Thewles.

Hidden away behind the library, several rows of very uniform gravestones ranging from the 1850s through to the early 1900s.