Prompted by a comment about yesterdays stench pipe, I realised I had photographed another over a year ago and never used the photo.
I think at the time as I was undecided whether it was a stench pipe or an old lamp.
Its possibly shown in the right background of this old photo and theres nothing on top to indicate a lamp (although it could be a telegraph pole related to the railway line behind)
It’s nearly been a year since I last spotted a ‘new’ stench pipe in Redcar, so its quite unusual that this one is somewhere i’ve driven past every morning since 2008.
Its identical to the one at the other corner of the park, but has lost its upper section and been filled with concrete.
Although there was an ironstone mine immediately adjacent at Cragg Hall, this is modern and is presumably also from the shaft sinking of Boulby Potash mine in the 1970s like the nearby grab.
The link appears to be Peter Roberts, ex-manager of Boulby who lived in Brotton (sadly he appears to have passed away just a couple of years ago)
For comparison, here’s the 1800’s ironstone kibble at Pinchinthorpe.
This stone near the base of a wall on North Road bears the date 1893, I have no idea of its origins or if it came from another building.
Perhaps there was once a water trough like this other dated stone just near the Market Place.
I believe this shaft clearing grab originated from the construction of the Boulby Potash mine.
N Burdett is welded on the side, I don’t know the significance of the name.
Around the top of Redcar Lane are four old painted signs, none of which are stunning examples, but I thought I should record them all before they disappear.
Pine and Cane (closed within the last 5 years I think)
Cycle World (closed within the last 10 years I think)
Begg Travel (don’t recall this personally, perhaps the oldest of the bunch ?)
Zetland Cafe (closed more recently, might be reopening ?)
I noticed ‘Lifelines’ being winched into place recently although I forget the exact date, I don’t believe theres been any official unveiling ceremony yet.
This is a sister sculpture to Sinterlation which is further down the seafront.
An amusement park opened in Redcar in 1924 on a 15 year lease. The park contained a large covered skating rink, ‘Hilarity Hall’, ‘Noahs Ark’ and ‘River Caves’
The big attraction was a wooden rollercoaster called the ‘Giant Racer’ (called a ‘scenic railway’ on the OS map)
Aerial photos fortunately exist too of the Giant Racer and River Caves rides.
This film footage of the Giant Racer and River Caves rides also exists.
The site closed in 1938 when the lease ran out, and was used for building Sandringham and Buckingham Road. The Giant Racer was disassembled and moved to Sheerness, although its life there was cut short by the outbreak of war, the site later became Butlins in 1945.
Located on a bridge at the edge of Chop Gate, i’ve been puzzling over this one for a week and cannot locate any references to it online.
My best guess is the third line is ‘LANDRO’ and the fourth line “ADEND’ if you ignore the lack of spaces that could be “…land Road End”
I suspect its a parish boundary and could be a roadmens stone like the one at Rosedale / Farndale
This is something that gets commented on again and again, even many years after my original post on one of the locations. I think the main reason for all the confusion is there are at least three sites, all in disused whinstone quarries, all look similar.
The name ‘Blue Lagoon’ never appears on maps either so your ‘Blue Lagoon’ might not be someone elses ‘Blue Lagoon’
I believe the location most people who visited in the 1970’s would have known as the Blue Lagoon was around Langbaugh Quarry and Nunthorpe Quarry, between Great Ayton and Nunthorpe, now the location of the Whinstone View Bistro.
The 1970s OS map shows three pools here, which also ties in with peoples recollections of being able to dive under the water and emerge in other areas.
This location no longer exists, it was filled in, as you can see from aerial views today.
In more recent times people have started to call the Donkey Pond the ‘Blue Lagoon’, this is about 0.5 mile E of the Gribdale Gate car park, also an old whinstone quarry.
The third location is Lonsdale Quarry which is on private property about 0.5 miles NE of Kildale. This location was used by Jack Hatfield to practice swimming for the 1912 Olympics.
Here’s a recent photo by a friend who had permission to visit.
Over the years i’ve picked up a couple of photos, its hard to say which location is which and i’m afraid I don’t recall where I got them from so if they are yours let me know so I can credit you.
Ray Simpson between Great Ayton and Nunthorpe 1958 / 59
