Kilton and ironstone mining
The ruined site of the Kilton mine
and the museum at Skinningrove
Directions
From Kilton,
the disused mines of Kilton are about a kilometre south of Kilton Thorpe, along
the track through the woods as the road bends westwards after Kilton Thorpe. The
old mine is on private land and you will need permission if you want to walk up
to the mine itself, but they can also be seen from a distance.
If you drive
about 500 metres beyond Kilton Thorpe to the dip where the road passes through
a wood, you might be able to park and walk through the wood towards the old
mine, once part of the Cleveland ironstone industry. The
buildings aren’t safe to enter.
The
Kilton and Lumpsey Mines
The Kilton
and Lumpsey Mines are adjacent to the family homelands
around Kilton. They are an industrial relic of the height of the Victorian
Age of Cleveland. The best place to learn about ironstone mining in Cleveland
is at the Land of Iron Museum in
nearby Skinningrove.
The Kilton mines were opened in 1870 and
closed in 1963. The mine was operated by the Kilton Ironstone Company until 1867,
then by Walker, Maynard and Company from 1894 to 1916 and then by Dorman, Long
and Company until 1963.
Their main
impact on Kilton had been the creation of a large spoil tip which continues to
dominate the skyline. Both Kilton and Lumpsey mines
were served by railways and the abandoned embankments and cuttings of the
railways are still visible.
The remains
of the mine works at Kilton in 2016:
The estate plan
of 1767 shows a farmhouse and a range of buildings at Lumpsey,
as does the tithe map. By 1856 this had developed into a courtyard farm.
Lumpsey, 1853
Lumpsey Mines by 1893
Lumpsey Mines in 1913
The
establishment of an ironstone mine in this area in the late nineteenth century
led to the destruction of the farm and no buildings survive. The Lumpsey mine was opened in 1881 as the ironstone companies
followed the veins south and east from the Eston hills. The mine occupied the
former site of Lumpsey farm and no traces were left
of the farm. It came to be known as the Flower of Cleveland and was one of the
last of Cleveland’s ironstone mines. The mine closed in 1954 but a number of
the mine buildings still survive. It was operated by Bell Brothers from 1881 to
1923, and then by Dorman, Long and Company until it closed in 1954.
or
Go Straight to Chapter 18 – the
Ironstone Miners
Go Straight to Chapter
15 – the Lost Village of Kilton