1939, Sorting shale from ironstone on the large convetor belt at Loftus where the ironstone mine re-opened after being closed since last August. This will mean employment for several hundred men, the ore extracted will be supplied to Skinningrove Iron works where 2 addition calcing kilns are ti be re-lighted. The second picture is the first load up at Loftus.

How many times did Loftus mine close and then re-open?

A lovely photo of the mine, but I think it may be a postcard. Someone has cropped the card (not guilty) but part of Geo. Skilbeck’s name can still be seen.
(photo courtesy of Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum)

A different photo of the mine showing the ’buckets’ taking the shale to the tip behind the mine. The ironstone went to the works via the shaft for North Loftus mine (the head gear was inside the works). This image is probably dated c. 1930.
(photo courtesy Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum, update from Eric Johnson)

Although it says Bell Brothers Brownlee Collery on the side of this ambulance, it is housed at the mining museum at Skinningrove. If I remember rightly it was restored by some apprentices at the I.C.I. at Wilton. Another memory recall is that the body of a rescued man was put in in a certain way, one way he was alive and another way he was dead, but which way was it?

(photo courtesy Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum.)

The image is taken from a series of photographs produced by Bruce who was a Loftus photographer, producing lots of images around old Cleveland. Many considered the name was emphasised because of the link to de Bruce of Skelton Castle and Kilton. THanks to Derick Pearson for the update and information. John

Not a very clear picture but we can make out Glover’s Path and Kilton Mill and on the hillside ’Duck Hole’ pit. It got this name because of the working conditions; it was so wet the men could be ankle deep or more in water while working down there – it’s real name was North Loftus Mine.

Also to be seen in the picture are the remains of the original Whitecliffe mine. North Loftus mine was completely separate and only worked as an independent mine in the 1870s’. Later the shaft was acquired by Skinningrove Iron Co. and used to raise ironstone from Carlin How and Loftus mines, only being infilled about 1947.

Thanks to Simon Chapman for the addition to this post

Taken from the railway lines above, the picture clearly shows Duckhole in the foreground with Skinningrove or Loftus pit farther down in the valley.

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.

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!)

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’.

To the bottom left 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.

  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.

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)

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.

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.

An early shot of the stables at the mine at Loftus, taken before the horses and the men walked down into the mine to work their shift.

A lovely shot of the stable yard with two of the horses and their handlers.  They were used to pull the wagons loaded with ironstone from the mine.  If their usual handler wasn’t there these horses could be very awkward to any other man trying to work with them.  Although there were stables underground, the horses were brought out on a regular basis to enjoy time in the field belonging to the mine.

A Cummins tells us: ”The building to the left was the foremans house, the building with the open door was the wash down room where the horses were bathed, and the hill in the background is the bankside up to Carlin How, where the railway ran.The stables are between the house and the washroom. My father sometimes looked after the horses and I often had a little sit on them.” Thanks for that update.

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.

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.

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?

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?

Five men taking a break from mining to have their photograph taken, we can clearly see the pit props and the candle held in place with boulder clay. We can surmise the man on the left of the photo is the deputy, as he is the one with the Davy lamp and the roof probe, the other men would have been known as fillers. The front two men are sitting on their midges, a three sided box with a candle in it (the only light they had to work by). No safety helmets are worn by any of the men as the compulsory wearing of safety helmets had not yet been introduced.

This is the same group of men that we see in another underground photograph.

Five men taking a break from mining to have their photograph taken, we can clearly see the pit props and the candle held in place with boulder clay.  We can surmise the man on the left of the photo is the deputy, as he is the one with the Davy lamp and the roof probe, the other men would have been known as fillers.  The front two men are sitting on their midges, a three sided box with a candle in it (the only light they had to work by).  No safety helmets are worn by any of the men as the compulsory wearing of safety helmets had not yet been introduced.

This is the same group of men that we see in another underground photograph.

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

All through the life of the mines there was a constant battle to increase yield without increasing manpower.  Ironstone was won by blasting a portion of the rock face out and then loading the stone into a tub (or sett) to be taken back to the heapstead.  To place the shot the miner had to create a hole into which he could place his powder, detonator and fuse. This was the time-consuming part of the job initially carried out by hand, then by hand ratchet drill, then by either compressed air, petrol or electric drill.  This obviously posed photograph is a record of the testing of just one such drill – I’ve no doubt that somebody out there will be able to tell me the name of the miner (please!).

This picture and the other one entitled similarly are two out of a group of four pictures taken about 1900 when Whitecliffe Mine was re-opened and this compressed-air drill was tried out underground. From the earliest times the hand ‘jumper’ drill was used, in 1875 the first compressed-air powered rotary drill was invented. Loftus Mines introduced such drills in 1891 but they were big and cumbersome so this one illustrated was tested but never adopted.
Later electric drills were used in Loftus but about 1895 hand-operated rotary drills were introduced (the so-called ‘ratchet’) and eventually superseded the powered drills. Loftus Mines, however, were never as mechanised as the Dorman Long mines in Cleveland. (words by Simon Chapman)

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?

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.

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

Jack W. Cooke, Arthur (Numpey) Thompson, and William Adamson.

(Image courtesy of Keith Bowers)