This photograph showing the arrangement at the top of the shaft at South Skelton Mine. On the right hand cage an empty tub waits to be lowered down the shaft. The man on the side of the cage appears to have his hand on a signalling handle which will send the right hand cage down and the left hand cage will raise a loaded tub to the surface. In the background the full tub from the left hand cage is being put into the tippler unit, which will turn the tub upside down and drop the contents onto the picking belt for sorting the shale from the stone. Any further information or corrections will be welcome.
I would have a guess that these men are queueing for their pay at the end of a long hard week down the mine at Lingdale, as they appear to be holding their ”Off Taks”. We asked for help with identification of the miners and Bill Danby tells us: ”My brother in law, Frank Holmes, now aged 88, is the handsome young man far Right. He worked at Lingdale mine for some years. He was a Deputy when it closed and transferred to North Skelton mine where he worked until the closure of that mine and was the last Deputy out in 1964. He can identify some of the others: The miner next to him is Jim Pearson. The one 4th from right with his hand in his pocket is George “Dacker” Neal. The man in the centre with his back to the camera is Bernard “Bish” Swinburne. The miner eighth from the right in the dark coat is Jack Armstrong. Standing in front of him is Ted Porritt. Behind Ted, [you can just see the top half of his head], is Eric Hatfield, who appears on your recent photograph entitled “I wonder where the next one is coming from”. Frank recalls that Eric was a good cricketer and once took all ten wickets for Skelton Castle. All the miners named lived in Lingdale. Franks says that the photograph was taken some time prior to the last pay day.”
Image courtesy of George Pearson and many thanks to Frank Holmes (via Bill Danby) for the update.
A sideline at Lingdale Mine was the manufacture of bricks made from the waste shale. In the photograph piles of bricks are stacked at the right hand side, with pallets of bricks being hoisted and lowered by the rope hoist system in the Photo. Down into the rail wagons below. An excellent description of the plant and it’s working is given in Simon Chapman’s Book “Lingdale Mine”.
A miner checks his final pay packet from Lingdale mine, at the Accounts Office ”Bob Hole”. The flat front on his safety helmet contained a clear shield which was pulled down to protect the eyes whilst drilling or using a pickaxe. We asked if anyone could identify the miner. Bill Danby tells us: ”My brother in law, Frank Holmes, who was a Deputy at Lingdale Ironstone Mine for a long time says the man at the front is Eric Hatfield, who was also a Deputy there. Man at the rear not known.” Paula Miller advises: “The man at the fron is definately Mr Eric Hatfield of Lingdale”; this is further confirmed by Kerry Hatfield: “My grandad Eric Hatfield.”
Image courtesy of George Pearson and thanks to Frank Holmes (via Bill Danby) and Paula Miller and Kerry Hatfield for the updates.
Longacre Mine was situated close to the present Hollybush Industrial Estate; not far from where the Asda supermarket has been built. The 286 foot shaft was in operation from 1876 till closure in 1954. Before closure the workings were taken over by North Skelton Mine. The mine ventilating fan is to the left of this image.
Miners leaving the cage on the last day at Lingdale, 23rd February 1962. We asked if anyone could name the men in the photograph. Bill Danby tells us: ”My brother in law, Frank Holmes, who was an Underground Deputy at Lingdale mine for a long time says that man at the rear is “Tibber” Slater, who used to live just below him in Scarth Street, Lingdale. Frank cannot presently recall the surname of the man at the front, but his Christian name was Jim. Frank recalls that Jim’s best mate was a man called Alan Forbes, who was involved in the worst pit accident that Frank ever experienced. That is saying something, as Frank was down Lingdale mine at the time of the gas explosion on the 25th August 1953 which killed 7 men and injured others. On the 28th August 1961, when Alan was aged 45, a piece of stone, “the size of a bus”, Frank says, fell on him from the pit roof. Miners had to stand on top of it to break it up and get to the dead man. Jim never went down any mine again after that. So from that story and in Frank’s opinion, it would seem that the photograph was not taken on the last day at the mine.”
Image courtesy of George Pearson and thanks to Bill Daby for those updates.
The bridge from Lingdale Mine to the shale tip, this image was dated February 22nd on the reverse, the year is unknown! The tip grew to dominate the village and could be seen from much of East Cleveland. Closure of the mine came in 1962.
Underground at Kilton mine with a view of an Eimco Loader known as a cranner in Cleveland. The miner at the tub is making room for more stone. Derick Pearson tells us: ” This Septimus Bambrough of Carlin How (left) and Stan Tremain of North Skelton (right). They were part of the record-breaking team at Kilton Pit (District 11 in 1951). The other members of the team were John Stonehouse (Senior) of Lingdale (platelayer), Dennis Pearson (Deputy and my father) of Carlin How and Big George (Ducks) Hollinworth of Lingdale. My father Dennis and Big George were drilling the face; Sep and Stan using the Eimco Loader (cranner) and John making sure the metals were laid in order to keep things going. This record was never beaten. Some North Skelton Miners claimed to have beaten it within the year with overall tonnage, but they had a 6 man team and so the tonnage per man output was never beaten. Andrew Turnbull was mine manager and said he had five ” injins” or engines as the top workers were called. He said he was proud to be their manager.The event made the headlines in the Evening Gazette and also many of the national newspapers in mining communities.”
Image courtesy of George Pearson and thanks to Derick Pearson for the update.
Liverton Mine around 1900. The round housing for the Guibal Mine Ventilating Fan is in the centre of the photograph. The tall steam hoist for raising wagons to the kilns is towards the left. One of the pylons for the aerial ropeway to the shale tip is towards the front of the photograph with a bucket on its way to the tip.
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