East Cleveland Image Archive

This image is of the 36” mill hot saw. Eric Johnson advised: “The the man to the left in this view, with tongs in his right hand is waiting for a sample to be cut and was taken c.1950. The rear person pictured is Tom Cook.”

Image and information courtesy of Eric Johnson.

Another photograph taken from a glass plate of the original Talbot Tilting furnace with 240 tons capacity, the largest in Europe when built about 1910. This pit side view shows the furnace under repair, the port ends which were movable have been drawn back. The “lander” – the tap hole chute sticking out of the middle of the furnace – has the brick lining removed. On the right of photograph is a large steel casting ladle, with a skull (scrap steel) on the lip. To the left are two slag ladles full of furnace debris. Next is a small charging ladle used to pour molten pig iron into the furnace from the charging side. On each side of the lander, a cage is suspended from the furnace by two pivoted arms allowing the cages to go up and down with the tilting. A shelter can be seen on the cages near the lander, to protect the melters throwing in the charges of coal, manganese, silicon etc. This varied according to specification.
Image and information courtesy of Eric Johnson.

Dating from about 1914 when this photograph was taken; a mine barrow waits near the weigh cabin. Following the comment from Robert Silkstone: “I just thought it was worth noting that this picture is not of a mine barrow. It is more important as these tubs are rarely photographed at ground level. They are the tubs that were taken by men who hand charged the blast furnaces before the conveyor system was introduced. The shape of the tub is deleberate to allow charging at the top of the furnace. This is quite a rare and interesting picture to a historian as I am.” Eric Johnson tells us: ’At Skinningrove ironworks the term ”mine” refers to the ironstone carried in the barrows which came from the company’s Loftus mine, this stone was roasted in kilns and the calcined ironstone was taken from the kilns to the weigh machine cabin. Then weighed and the barrows hoisted to the furnace top, emptied and returned. Coke and limestone were also carried in the barrows, but they were always known as ”mine barrows”.’

Steven Partlett has added: ” I remember these as being termed “Barrows”. My father worked these after Loftus mine closed and he moved to the Ironworks. What is not obvious in these images is that the ground where they operated was completely covered in plates which were either Steel or Iron. The barrows had a knife edged wheel, similar to a flanged rail wheel. The combination reduced friction, and made it easier to push the loaded barrows. The area was known in the works as “the plates” because of the feature.”

Image and information courtesy of Eric Johnson, also thanks to Robert Silkstone and Steve Partlett for the updated information.