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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, Harold Ralph ‘Lal’ Gibson (blacksmith), 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), Allan Readman.
Thanks to Eric Johnson, Joanne Cooper and Cazzi Kerr for names.
This is an early image of Margrove Park Mine or Magra as it is still known locally. In front of the wooden headgear over the downcast shaft you can see the top of the upcast shaft with the smoke coming from the fire at its base to induce ventilation in the mine. This shaft top was later heightened and a pulley wheel installed on the top; this is now the structure which still survives on the site. The mine closed about 1924; it stood on the site of the present day Caravan Park and connected to the Boosbeck to Middlesbrough railway via a single track which crossed the road from Charltons to Boosbeck with a gated crossing. The village of Margrove Park; known as Magra Park – after the deer park which was here originally – was built in a large rectangle, one side of which was the local shops – all of which were demolished due to mining subsidence (after the mine had closed and they fell into disuse). The only remaining example of a shop (the Co-operative) is the pre-fab building on the opposite side of the road to the village garden. Bob Clements tells us: ”The railway crossing at Magra was a gated crossing. The gates were still there when I was a lad at Magra. That was in the 1940s. I can’t remember when they finally disappeared.” Helen commented: “I have just been walking around this area and found a cordoned off mine shafts in the woods behind the caravan park, but couldn’t tell my younger sister if it was a mine shaft or not!”
Thanks to Simon Chapman for comments and corrections, also Bob Clements for the update on the gates and Helen regarding the former shafts.
You can hardly see the works, but they are here – early construction image.
Image courtesy of Alan Franks.
Still very early days, but it’s beginning to take shape.
Image courtesy of A. Franks.
Once again, a rather grainy photograph – but one that was the end of an era – as it shows the workmen dismantling the railway. Doctor Beeching is frequently blamed for closing many railways which he didn’t; he presented a report with recommendations! The Loftus to Whitby Railway closed in May 1958, Loftus Station closed to passengers in 1960; although goods deliveries continued until 1963. The image came from another Northern Echo newspaper cutting.
Many thanks to Simon Chapman for correcting our commentary.
Lovely clear shot of Loftus Station, the bank on the left would have taken us to Liverton Mines, clearly visible on the hill. Lynn Jones enquired of the Archive if it was possible to a train from Redcar to Skinningrove in 1900; the Archive has now explained the peculiarities of the ‘Skinningrove – Carlin How’ stations.
Must have been a very still day when this train pulled into the station as the smoke is going straight up. How I would love to be on that steam train now on the way to Whitby.
The headgear is up and so are the administration buildings, but it’s not all finished yet. Another image scanned from an official photograph, dated 1970.
Image courtesy of Alan Franks.
It’s beginning to look like the Potash now isn’t it?
Image courtesy of Alan Franks.
The last three men to leave Loftus mine, (South drift), on 27th September, 1958:
Jack W. Cooke, Arthur (Humpy) Thompson, and William Adamson.
Image courtesy of Keith Bowers.
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