Scugdale Calcining Kilns, Swainby

Posted on May 27, 2008 by chris.twigg

Calcining is the process of roasting iron ore making it more suitable from blast furnaces, these structures are similar to the larger and more obvious kilns in Rosedale.

The location can easily be approached through the woods to the North West along the old railway line which goes directly to the kilns. A large shale tip can be seen through the trees just before arriving.

A groove can be seen in the North West end, presumably it once housed a chute of some kind to load into waggons on the railway below.

The South East end also has brickwork standing approximately 10m high.

The back wall of the kilns are the majority of the remains, as the front wall and any dividers have collapsed into a large spread of rubble in front, some of the retaining fittings are still visible in this rubble.

Layers of firebricks burnt red by extreme heat and it places completely burnt away, can still be seen in position along the back wall.

The structure was surveyed in much more detail by John Owen and published in Cleveland Industrial Archaeologist No. 22.

Osmotherley ROC Post

Posted on May 20, 2008 by chris.twigg

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The ROC post is situated at the top of Ruebury Hill

The hatch is not locked and the ladder still in place, i didn’t venture inside today but you can see pictures of that here

There are the remains of an aircraft post right next to the bunker.

Update May 2008Â – Interior photos.

Sump pump and switches

Vintage newspaper and targets on bedframe

Original batteries (no mains) and chemical toilet

Chapel Wood, Jet Mines near Ingleby Arncliffe

Posted on May 19, 2008 by chris.twigg

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An entrance to extensive jet workings opened beside the footpath during forestry work in 2002 and was subsequently explored by the Moldywarps Speleo Group and Scarborough Cave Club. Nearly 1000m of passages were discovered, their investigation and mapping being covered in much details in Cleveland Industrial Archeology No. 30.
The entrance is now gated and locked, although looking down into an adjacent small collapse gives a good idea of the narrow and fragile passages through the shale.

The area of surrounding woodland is littered with collapses relating to the workings, some of the larger ones very dangerous due to ground cover, depth and collapsing sides.

In fields to the south west, three parallel collapses are visible and a large shale tip still scars the hillside. These show up particularly well if you click the “Show On Map” link at the top of this post.

Portrack Meadow, Germination Sculpture

Posted on May 18, 2008 by chris.twigg

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At the site of the old Portrack Incinerator, now a nature reserve

Children from High Clarence, Tilery & Norton Primary Schools in Stockton worked with local artist Andrew McKeown to design the artwork.

Warren Moor Ironstone Mine

Posted on May 17, 2008 by chris.twigg

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Warren Moor has the only standing chimney of any ironstone mine in the area, dating from the 1860s

A completely flooded 220ft downcast shaft can be seen from the path.

Between the two shafts are the foundations of a winding engine.

A vaulted roof leads from the foundations of a pumping house to the upcast shaft.

The upcast shaft is estimated to be 150ft deep, not reaching the Main Seam ironstone and not connected to the downcast hence the differing water levels in each.

A number of surface drifts can be seen on the hillside to the north east which worked the Top Seam.

Gaytress Quarry Cementstone Mine

Posted on May 12, 2008 by chris.twigg

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As with the nearbyÂ cementstone mineÂ at Kettleness, these are also positioned at the top of a quarry just below the sandstone cap, making for a pretty tricky scramble.

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Three adjacent entrances can be found, all appear to have suffered collapses from the loose shaleÂ roof so exploration isn’t the best idea.

The leftmost tunnel slopes steeply downwards, i’m unsure if they were builtÂ dug this wayÂ or whether its just successive heaped up roof collapses leading down to the level of the original drift.

Access to the central tunnel is tighter, although a similar flat area at the bottom of the slope could be seen when I stuck the camera over the top.

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Â The rightmost entrance has totally collapsed and only a small gap is left.

Another entrance is visible high on a ledge to the north, but access to that looks to be virtually impossible without climbing gear.

Kettleness Cementstone Mine

Posted on May 11, 2008 by chris.twigg

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Due to its position just below the sandstone cap, this is thought to be a trial drift for cementstone, post-dating the end of quarrying in 1871. A cement works at Sandsend stayed open until 1935.

The adit only appear to be about 10m long, but the roof was flaking shale and I didn’t fancy exploring too deeply.

Kettleness Alum Works

Posted on May 11, 2008 by chris.twigg

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Alum production occurred at Kettleness from 1727 until 1871. This has radically altered the appearance of the area.

The original Alum house at beach level was destroyed by a huge landslide in 1829, what now appear to be cliffs are the face of the quarry where the sandstone over the shale has been removed.

The remains of the second alum house are on a flat area on the west side of the works, foundations remain and jet mines can be found under the platform which holds the building. The whole area is covered is loose blown shale where little grows.
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The foundations of another building can be seen on the eastern edge of the site.

To the south of the building are a number of steeping pits which are slowly being lost over the cliff edge.

The remains of stone conduits used to transport liquids are also visible in the south east.

To the north of the steeping pits is the top of a cistern, again collapsing over the cliff edge.

There are a huge number of features around the site although they are often difficult to interpret due to being buried by the constantly shifting shale, they are however extensively covered in English Heritage survey AI/24/2003

Tunnel or Cistern at Kettleness Alum Works

Posted on May 11, 2008 by chris.twigg

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This structure was unearthed by the York University Cave and Pothole Club back in 2006. They called it a mine and while there are jet mines below the Alum House, this is at a much higher level.

To me the construction looks more like some sort of storage tank and it appears to end with a wall rather than a collapse. Also the suspended wooden planks which would allow access above the liquid below.

Sandsend Tunnel Portal Collapse

Posted on May 8, 2008 by chris.twigg

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 !