|
|
|
SitesGeneral Partners
|
Ironstone Mining : In-depth Information
What is ironstone? Cleveland Ironstone consists of a series of deposits varying in thickness and depth below ground. These seams can be found beneath much of East Cleveland and at one time there were dozens of working mines at places like Eston, Upleatham, Skelton and Liverton. Just below this lies the "pecten" or "shelly " seam named after the amount of fossils found in the stone. This is a more minor seam at approximately 1.5 meters thick. At a short distance beneath this is the "two foot seam" which was often confused with the pecten seam. The deepest level worked was the "avicula seam", named after a characteristic fossil. This was mainly exploited at the south of the ore field in the Grosmont area where the main deposit is interspersed with bands of shale making it uneconomic to extract. When was ironstone first mined? Iron Age communities from potentially as early as 700 BC originally exploited deposits of iron ore on Teesside. Evidence for this has recently been discovered at Foxrush Farm, Dormanstown by Tees Archaeology. Here furnace mould fragments demonstrate the smelting of iron ore and manufacture of iron objects. In the medieval period ironworking was carried out by monastic houses such as Guisborough Priory who carried out smelting at Glaisdale. These ancient smelting venture undoubtedly capitalised on ironstone outcrops or material collected from beaches where material washed out from cliff sides. When did ironstone become a major industry? Many local landowners realised the potential of ironstone deposits in the early 1800's. In 1811, William Ward Jackson of Normanby Hall had six cartloads of ironstone from Upsall delivered to furnaces on Tyneside for testing but was met with a marked lack of interest. This pattern was followed for the next 30 years with Cleveland Ironstone gaining a reputation for poor quality and being economically unviable. It wasn't until 1837 that received orders for material from Grosmont were received by the Birtley Iron Co. based on Tyneside. This material was shipped up the coast to Middlesbrough and transferred by rail to Tyneside. The resulting pig iron was eventually transported back to Middlesbrough where Bolcklow and Vaughan had opened Ironworks in 1840. How were the mines worked? Early mines began as open case from hill face quarries. Later, especially where deeper deposits were concerned, drifts or shafts were used to access the mine. Ventilation was usually achieved by means of a fan powered by steam, or later by electricity, pumping air in to the mine by means of a ventilation shaft. Ironstone was lifted from the mine in tubs by means of a winding engine, again powered by steam or electricity. Steam power meant that access to a water supply was necessary and many mines had their own reservoirs. Various ancillary buildings are common features of mine sites, such as the mine office, stables, workshops and the powder magazine usually sited some distance from the main complex for safety reasons. Where can I see the remains of these mines? As there were so many mines there are a number of sites to choose from. Many remains survive at the Eston Hills and also at Upleatham. Near complete mines survive at Skelton Park Pit and Lumpsey (also near Skelton). As mine sites were abandoned their remains have fallen into disrepair and caution must be exercised when visiting any remains. |
|
|
|
||
