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.

The 8 bells from St Hildas are now located in central Middlesbrough.

They date from 1864 and were cast by Mears and Stainbeck, bells were donated by Bolckow and Vaughan, Thomas Vaughan, Cochrane and Company, Joseph Pease, Hopkins and Company, Gilkes Wilson Company, Clay Lane and South Bank Iron Companies and the local clergy.

After the demolition of the church in 1969 they were stored until 1975, then hung in a side street at the south side of All Saints Church, in 2005 they were moved to the current more prominent location.

The chuch of St Hildas was demolished in 1969, all that remains is a brick block marking the position of the altar from which even the plaque has been stolen. The housing that replaced it is already being demolished.

The area is surrounded with flattened gravestones which are now all virtually covered in grass,

Black Hill Cross stand by the road that used to be called Yarlesgate. The scheduled ancient monument entry says the base is medieval while the upright is more modern.

The upright has a notch in the top, where you often find a few pennies left.

St Oswalds, Tin Tabernacle was erected for the miners of the Kirkleatham Ironstone Mine

Corrugated iron churches are become rarer, someone sought planning permission to demolish it in 2006 for housing but was fortunately turned down despite this unique building not being listed and in need of repairs.

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.

Built in the 12th century, the old church was used until 1875.

Only the tower and arches of the nave still survive.

The Lady Chapel was originally in the 15th century near a holy spring above the Carthusian priory of Mount Grace and continued to be a place of pilgrimage for centuries, it was a ruin until the late 1950s after which it was rebuilt.

Only the tower of St Germains remains, built in 1160. The church was rebuilt in 1821 but again demolished in 1950 with exception of the Tower.

Captain Cooks father is buried here, he died in 1779 six weeks after Cook himself, although never knew his sons death.

The current headstone is erected in the memory of James Robinson who was lost as sea in 1904. The grave is also reputed to have been visited by Charles Dickens.

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