Entitled ‘The Cliffs, Loftus this postcard view over Hummersea farm and towards Boulby gives an excellent view of ”Snilah ponds” were believed to have been the settling ponds for Hummersea Alum works. Alas no longer visible, they were ‘filled-in’ in more recent times; older residents of Loftus have happy memories of looking for newts and similar wildlife in the ponds in their youth, happy days! Peter Appleton has updated our knowledge with: “No, not settling ponds for the alum works. There exists, among the Zetland papers at North Yorkshire County Record Office a sketch map (Ref.: ZNK/V/3/8/808) dated 8th April 1807 showing the arrangement for a system of drains and ditches to collect water and feed it into “Snarley Pond”. The outflow from the pond was shown as a “New Conductor for the water to the Alum House”. This was shown heading off in the direction of the Alum House complex on the beach at Hummersea. That Alum House complex was commissioned during the winter of 1809/10. The water was being gathered from source points all along the fields that lay adjacent to the cliff top and those to the south of the track that leads from present-day Hummersea House past Warren House and on towards Gallihowe.” Tom Sayers also remarks: “Famous for gold crested newts; Norman Lantsbery allowed the new Potash to fill in these historic ponds in exchange for widening the lane from Loftus to Street Houses. This would be a criminal offence today”.
Image and update courtesy of Peter Appleton; also thanks to Brian Pierce and Tom Sayers for the updates.
Looking across Hummersea Farm where my g.g.grandmother was in 1841 (Jane Isabella Webster) living with the Hudsons who farmed it then, whose daughter Mary married my g.g.grandfathers brother, it looks across the ponds to the Warren, and Tile Sheds where my g.g.g.grandparents lived for many years (Ralph Ovington and Hannah Crossley)
Used to walk there from Loftus as a child to see the newts in the ponds. I’ve got vague memories of waste oil being poured into the ponds and burnt off during the late 60s/early 70s. Not been back since. Hope the ponds have recovered
Famous for gold crested newts; Norman Lantsbery allowed the new Potash to fill in these historic ponds in exchange for widening the lane from Loftus to Street Houses. This would be a criminal offence today.
In 1992 I catalogued the old Urban District Council planning applications for the local area at what is now Teesside Archives and one of them concerned ICI requesting to fill in the Snilah Ponds at Hummersea. I’m afraid I can’t tell you anything about what ICI intended to do with the ponds because, although there is reference to a file in the old card index, the file wasn’t there. This work definitely took place between 1945 and 1974 because this was the extent of the collection. I hope this helps in some way.