An aerial view of Marske Mill, taken from the viaduct beneath which it used to shelter. Demolished in the early 1970s, attempts have now been made to indicate the previous existence of the mill of which only small traces were evident; now to be viewed are some of the original mill walls. No evidence remains of the red brick Victorian farm-house which once graced the site. The Archive understands that the scene below was taken from a train driven over the viaduct pre 1952 by the engine driver; on a box Brownie camera. Owen Rooks assists with: “The photograph was indeed taken from the viaduct…by my father with the family box Brownie using the poor quality film that was all that seemed to be available in those days. He took it shortly before he retired in 1952 after a lifetime working on the railway, mostly on the track between Saltburn and Brotton.” Callum Duff advises: ”The house to the right of the mill was built by the railway as the Superintendent or custodian of the Viaduct’s house. It wasn’t excavated as part of the Marske Mill archaeological dig of 1986/7 because it wasn’t deemed to be of any archeological interest. I know this because I asked Cleveland County archaeologists this question when I worked for them in 1991.”
Image courtesy of Owen Rooks who also kindly supplied the information, his father being the engine driver. Also thanks to Callum Duff for the update.
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