IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Margrove Road, TS12 3BP

An interior view of the former South Skelton Ironstone Mine building shown in Image and Image This probably housed a compressor for providing an air supply to the mine.

Most buildings associated with the ironstone mines of East Cleveland have either long since been demolished or converted for industrial use. South Skelton Mine is the one exception because I suppose it went into agricultural use. The farm has now been abandoned and I understand the site is now earmarked for residential development. Operations began at South Skelton in 1872 with Thomas Vaughan and Company and continued through several changes of ownership and with a few periods of mothballing until the 1950s by which time it was owned by Dorman, Long and Company. Unlike most East Cleveland ironstone mines which are drift mines, “Van’s Pit”, as it was known locally after Vaughan, was worked by two shafts of approximately 216′ depth. It was electrified in 1912 and underwent substantial modernisation in the 1930s when Dorman Long took over. Output was considerable, at its height, 300,000 tons were produced annually with 450 employees. The building in the photograph would have been the winding house for the upcast shaft. From my blog http://www.fhithich.uk/?p=20242

This is the electric winder house. The photographer is standing just behind the capped shaft so cables from the winder would come out from the opening above the door.

A close up of the timber roof construction of the former compressor building of the South Skelton Ironstone Mine shown in Image and Image

An interior view of the former electric winder building South Skelton Ironstone Mine shown in Image Through the door on the far side would be workshops.

This building would have housed an air compressor. This provided an air supply for driving the drills.

Western aspect of the main range of buildings. The taller building is the compressor house for providing an air supply to the mine face. To the right are workshops which are in front of the electric winder house.

Newly created wildlife pond on the site of the South Skelton Ironstone Mine with spoil tip in the background.

The mine offices. It looks like it was converted and lived in until recent times but now abandoned.

Interior of the stable block shown in Image which is part of the South Skelton Ironstone Mine.