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Kingsdown Way, REDCAR, TS11 8JJ

So named after the farm to the east (off right). A narrow gauge railway used to run along its length servicing the Upleatham Ironstone Mine (main entrance behind photographer). At the second kink in the lane the railway actually continued in a straight line and parallel to the lane. The housing seen to the left of the lane was built on the course of this old railway in the 1960s.

Most of the houses of New Marske are within the grid square. The village comprises a mixture of 19c terraced houses built for the ironstone miners and modern houses built in the boom of the 1970's. Beyond New Marske lies the eastern fringe of Marske-by-the-Sea. In the very far distance ships can be seen awaiting clearance to enter Teesport.

A rare visit to Beacon Moor, the high point above Errington Wood giving fine views over New Marske to the left and Redcar in the distance. Many believe the name, New Marske, derives from the housing built in the 1960s/70s to cater for the expanding industries of Teesside, but the name actually dates from the 19th-century when J.W. Pease built the village for his workers at his Upleatham Ironstone Mine. His rows of terraced cottages can be seen surrounded by the modern houses, the nearest row of which are on Pontac Road. These and the road are built on the course of the inclined railway to the mine. Pontac Road takes its name from Pontac Farm on the right. At the end of the road, a slight kink, and then you can see a hedge line. This is the route of the Upleatham Branch Railway and can be traced to where it joined the Darlington & Saltburn Branch of the North Eastern Railway. The main drift to Upleatham Ironstone Mine is just out of shot and, in any case, would be hidden by the trees. Operations began in 1851 soon after the Eston Mine was established making it one of the oldest mines in Cleveland. It was leased by the Derwent Iron Company from Lord Zetland. The ore was sent to Consett Iron Works and Shotley Bridge. J.W. Pease & Company took over in 1857. By 1900 the mine was becoming exhausted and finally closed in 1923. From my daily photo blog http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=20084

Two brick plinths probably used to mount the hauling engine for bringing the tubs of ironstone out of the mine entrance nearby. The entrance, the Main Winning, was one of three associated with Upleatham Mine.

This photograph shows a view of the public footpath/track that runs between Errington Wood (ahead) and Pontac Road, New Marske (behind the photographer). A section of Pontac Road is just visible in the foreground of the image - see here Image The picture was taken looking in a south-south-easterly direction towards Upleatham.

The undergrowth of Errington Woods is slowly hiding what little remains of the second largest mine on Teesside. This is a retaining wall that protected the narrow gauge railway servicing the West Side mine entrance.

Now a walkway through Errington Woods, a narrow gauge railway once ran along here servicing the East Winning of Upleatham Ironstone Mine with the top of the incline at Pontac Road. The mine was finally abandoned in 1923 and the trees in Errington Woods were planted by the miners themselves.