Six Stoups Waymarkers

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The waymarkers line the side of the road near Birk Brow and show the safe path through formerly marshy ground, they have only recently been restored to an upright position. Details of that work were once on the Guisborough Rotary Club website but have since been removed, fortunately I saved a copy

Six Stoups Standing Stones (well two of them)
Six Stoups Standing Stones

Commondale waymarker carved with hands

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Commondale Hand Signpost

Although a little tricky to make out, the writing on the various faces reads.
TO WHITBY, TO STOKESLEY, TO GISBER all with carved hands

Commondale Hand Signpost

Percy Cross – Percy Rigg

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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.
Percy Cross KIldale Commondale

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

Percy Rigg Iron Age Hut Circles

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There are five circular hut bases, two of them 28 feet in diameter with paved floors and walls still standing to a height of three courses of stone. Nine saddle querns and the base of one rotary quern were found – The North York Moors Stanhope White 1979
Commondale Kildale Iron Age Hut Circle
Commondale Kildale Iron Age Hut Circle

A much better visualisation of the circles is gained by clicking ‘Show on Map’ above to view this site via Google Earth.

There are reports of a well which possible served the settlement down towards the stream in the valley, the site was excavated by Roland S Close and a memorial to him is attached.

Lonsdale Ironstone Mine

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This short-lived mine was worked by the Lonsdale Vale Iron Company between 1865 and 1868.

The remains of the stone engine house are visible at the edge of the Lonsdale plantation.

Londale Mine
Londale Mine
Londale Mine

A small fence surrounds the overgrown building and the uncapped shaft (documented as 145 feet)
Londale Mine Shaft

The nearby houses at New Row were also built for the mine.

White Cross

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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.

White Cross Castleton / Commondale
Coins left on White Cross Castleton / Commondale

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

 

Cobble Hall Lime Kilns

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The kilns are adjacent to the remains of a quarry, and can be found fairly easily from the Commondale road.

Cobble Hall Lime Kiln
Cobble Hall Lime Kilns
There are two entrances with short tunnels leading into the kilns, the right hand tunnel is mis-shapen and will likely collapse in the future.

Cobble Hall Lime Kiln
Cobble Hall Lime Kiln Entrance

The kilns themselves are collapsed, but there are the remains of the entances to the left and right at the end of the tunnel.

Cobble Hall Lime Kiln Eye

Tocketts Ironstone Mine Shafts – Supplemental

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A third shaft is visible on the north side of the beck, its surrounded my a fence again, but all thats visible are the top two rows of bricks and a lot of rubbish. There is a rough track from Tocketts Mill to here.

Tocketts Shaft 8
Tocketts Shaft 7

Tocketts Ironstone Mine Shafts

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Two mine shafts are easily visible from the footpath though the woods.

The first is a pumping shaft surrounded by a fence, it is 70ft deep and full of water and debris, a bricked up passage can be seen which was presumably to let water flow out into the beck after pumping.
Tocketts Shaft 5
Tocketts Shaft 4
Tocketts Shaft 6

The second is an air shaft with a large chimney, to aid the airflow in the sheltered valley.

Tocketts Shaft 3
Tocketts Shaft 2
Tocketts Shaft 1

Update : Here is a map of the rail link to the site provided by Andrew who has made some detailed comments below, it it based on the map available on the Waggonways site

Tocketts railway

Upleatham Church (almost) the smallest in Britain.

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Upleatham Church 2
Upleatham Church 5
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
Upleatham Church 1
Upleatham Church 3