The last three men to leave Loftus mine, (South drift), on 27th September, 1958:

Jack W. Cooke, Arthur Thompson, and William Adamson.

(Image courtesy of Keith Bowers)

A working photo of the aerial ropeway, locally known as ’the buckets’. We can see a full bucket of ironstone being taken up to the iron and steel works, with the mine in the distance at the bottom of the picture.

Loftus mines ironstone was transported up to Skinningrove Works from 1895 by connection into the abandoned workings of the North Loftus mine to avoid paying haulage charges to the N.E.R. By 1932 the North Loftus shaft steam winding equipment was thoroughly antiquated so the aerial ropeway was built to avoid using the shaft which was later filled in.

Thanks to Simon Chapman for information in the last paragraph.

A close view of the chimney at the mine at Loftus as it slowly falls.

I would suggest that this is Loftus (Skinningrove) mines chimney being demolished.
In the background you can see the Staple shaft from “Duckhole” mine. This is still in
existance today. This mine was eventually linked to Lumpsey mine at Brotton, and worked from that shaft. Just to the
right, off the photograph, is what we now know as the Cleveland Ironstone mining museum.

This was the chimney at Loftus mines being felled in 1912.

We can see two men hard at work in the blacksmith’s shop at Loftus mine. The man with the file in the foreground is probably the ’smith and his helper behind with his hand on the chimney damper for the fire.

Here’s a view of the bottom pylon of ’The Buckets’ complete with protective screen above the road. Just to the left of the pylon can be seen the air shaft for the mine.

This is the sight you would have seen entering Skinningrove,  Loftus mine was to the right and the ropeway took ironstone from the mine to the steel works on the top of the hill, on it’s return it brought shale which was tipped at the back of the mine.  This ropeway was known locally as ’the buckets’.

Men of the last shift at Loftus Mine pose with their handiwork.  The closing of the mines destabilised a lot of the local communities as people drifted away to find new jobs and eventually moved to be nearer their new place of work.

Back Row: Allan Creswick, Harold Found, Cyril Gibson (blacksmith’s striker), Walter Wilson, Bill Dawson, Don Breckon.

Front Row: Jim Tinkler, Walt Sayers (check weighman), George Adamson, Ian Gibson (blacksmith), Allan Readman, Jim Easton (holder of the Daily Herald Award for Industrial Heroism for rescuing Jim Tinkler in an incident which witnessed the death of Jim Trousdale). 

Thanks to Eric Johnson and Joanne Cooper for names. John.

Another group of Loftus miners prepare to go in-bye.  The photographer must have had a busy day!

Can anybody name any of them?

This is a similar shot to the other image of the Loftus Drift, but taken from farther back.  Why the two police officers I don’t know.

A miner and his loader and a full tub of stone.  Overhead two shattered roof supports.  Does anybody know their names?

Here we have another type of drill being tested and another photographic record of the event.  The backlash of this automation was that less men were required to produce the same (or better) yield and a lot of miners were downgraded (with loss of pay and status) to loaders/drivers or simply made unemployed.

Once again does anyone know the type of drill and the name of the miner?

There’s an almost surreal look to this image – I’m having a job deciding whether it’s the real thing or an elaborate photographic studio set piece!

This must be the travelling drift, because there’s no sign of any rails for tubs to run on.  It looks like a full shift, right down to the trapper lads.  It can’t be too early on because there are Davey Safety Lamps in view, although no safety helmets.  Shot Cannisters are in evidence, but no picks.

Can anyone name any of these men?

From Carlin How once again (this time captioned ”Loftus Mines”) the stables are centre foreground with Overmen’s Cottages behind them (lovingly named ”Hoss Muck Row” by the locals, for obvious reasons).  Behind that the picking belt and heapstead.

Another shot of Skinningrove Mine, looking straight onto it from Carlin How.  The ”Zig-Zag” in the foreground with Duckhole just on the right.  The stables left middle with Overmen’s Cottages next to them.  Deepdale woods and the shale heap are right background.

I’ve never seen a view from this angle before and I’m still trying to get to grips with it.  Carlin How in the background, with the ”Zig-Zag” cutting across the middle of the picture. The building directly in front is the loading shed where the iron ore was loaded into standard gauge wagons. I think I need help with this one please!

I think the image was taken from the road from Deepdale woods to Skinningrove village.

A good image of Skinningrove valley, post-1911, showing just how busy this little valley was!  On the left we have Skinningrove Mine, with the stables and just visible the Overmen’s Houses and on the right we have Duckhole Pit just coming into the picture.  Liverton Mill takes the stage left of centre in the middle, the viaduct (now an embankment) away in the background and towering over it all in the haze is Liverton Mines shale heap.  The sweep of rail track cutting through the image is the ”Zig-Zag”.  The picture very obviously taken from Carlin How.

At some point in the history of the ironstone industry in the Skinningrove valley the NER tried to raise the carrying costs for iron ore.  As a result the NER lost the business (for good), an aerial ropeway (known locally as ”the buckets”) was constructed to take the stone from the valley floor up to Skinningrove Ironworks on the cliff top.  This is the middle stanchion, the roofed structure over the road was to catch any falling stone jerked out of the buckets as a result of passing over the stanchion pulleys.  This system was in use until local stone was superceded by cheaper foreign ores. (The topmost stanchion was still in place at the top gates of Skinningrove Iron and Steel Works when I worked there, adapted as a floodlight tower!)

To the bottom right are the stables, then comes Overman’s Cottages (hoss muck terrace, as it was known by the locals) then what looks like a bridge is where the stone from Loftus mine was taken to Duck Hole and up the shaft to the works at the top of the bank.  This happened when the railway put up the charge for the mine using the zig zag line.  Kilton viaduct can just be seen and Mill Bank snakes it’s way to the top of the photo.  We must not forget the children posing in the front of the photo, it was wonderful how the word got round when the photographer was coming.

A slightly eerie photograph of a group of miners – the lighting is obviously from magnesium flash placed at ground level (good job there was no gas about!).

Notice the conventional midge on the left and the Davy safety lamp of the Deputy on the right(with the roof probe), also the rack of drill bits leaning against the wall on the left.

Can anybody provide names?

A serene snow-covered image taken from Carlin How, probably from near the entrance to Skinningrove Iron and Steel Works, belying the gritty industrialised nature of the area.

Salient features are The Stables, Overman’s Cottages and the Woodyard in the valley, the shale tip next to Deepdale Wood and Loftus Mill Bank.

(A light dusting of snow, but you can still make out Overman’s Cottages, with the mine to the rear and  Mill Bank snaking it’s way  to Loftus.  The shale heaps look almost like mountains with their covering of snow. – Joanj)

  Loftus Mine at full production.

At the right hand side is what was known as the wood yard where the wood for the pit props was stored.

Mill Bank is just visible at the far right and in the foreground are the stables.