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 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. 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. Image courtesy of Joan Jemson.  You can see from this much earlier image how light and open the valley was originally. I wonder if the viaduct had been built with arched spans whether the problem would still have manifested itself. I’d need an engineer to tell me – is there an engineer in the house? Simon Chapman advises: ”Kilton Viaduct opened for traffic in 1867 and was later filled in with shale to create a massive embankment so that mining could take place beneath it. During this work which took years, one of the pillars showed signs of stress possibly because of uneven tipping, so traffic over was stopped for a fortnight until the problem was remedied. So if the viaduct had been built with arches it would still have ended up as we see it today.” Image courtesy of the Pem Holliday Collection and others, thanks to Simon Chapman for the update.  A beautiful valley and an elegant structure, before the viaduct became unstable and was filled in with waste from the mine to create an embankment.  Three men in rather a dangerous position, the Archive asked: “Does anyone know when the mine head gear was replaced?” Simon Chapman assisted with: “This picture shows work being carried out on the upcast headgear about 1900 which was a wooden construction. It was replaced by a smaller steel structure in 1937. The headgear over the main drawing shaft was also wooden until 1918 when it was replaced, again by a steel headgear.” Thanks to Simon Chapman for this information.  A lovely clear photograph (from a Huntrods postcard) of Lumpsey mine at Brotton. Huntrods the photographer (and postcard producer) would not have had to travel very far to capture this image. In 1901 Mr J. E. Huntrods was living in at 32 Errington Street, Brotton; just next door really! Presently some ruins of the buildings still remain with the shaft being capped off.  A lovely clear photograph of Lumpsey mine dating from 1905.  Another view of Lumpsey, with a lot of tubs waiting to go to the Iron and Steel works and the pit props waiting to go down into the mine.  Another drawing by Mr Harrison, this time of Lumpsey mine from the south; look at all those pit props carefully drawn.  An image of Brotton Lumpsey Mine, the Archive was unsure of the date; Eric Johnson suggested: “Perhaps taken during the general strike of 1926; the three officers on the right with lanyards appear to be Police Officers, the others in different uniforms might be “Specials”. If it is the general strike the two workers on the right near the mine tubs would be called a not very nice name. but why so many officers at Lumpsey?” We have been advised by Simon Chapman: ”The pump house between the shafts was built in 1908, the main headgear was replaced by steel in 1918, so the picture was taken between these two dates. My guess is 1912.” Image courtesy of Derick Pearson (also the David Linton Collection and the Pem Holliday Collection); thanks to Eric Johnson and Simon Chapman for the updates.  A further lovely photograph showing some of the buildings of Lumpsey Mine; with four of the workmen. |
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