Grandmother Katie Easton holding a very young Ray Conn at 6 Boulby Cottages. The cottages, known locally as Tin City, were listed in the 1911 census as Iron Cottages. They were built by Skinningrove Iron Company to house the miners working at the Boulby Ironstone Mine. The first ones were occupied by the end of 1906. They were semi-detached bungalows built from corrugated iron sheeting on timber frames, standing on concrete foundations. The Boulby Mine finally closed in 1934 and in October 1936 The Ministry of Health issued a demolition order as part of a ”slum clearance scheme”; much to the residents displeasure. Over the next few years the tenants moved out and the cottages were demolished. Ray Conn has told us that tin sheets and timber went to Wards Farm at Roxby and were used to build a large shed. Anthony Mugfordf tells us: “I discovered a relative – Thomas Mugford – who was an ironstone miner, who lived with his family at number 8. There was Thomas, wife Gertrude, adult son Thomas and children Gertrud, Dora, Florence, Lavinia and Hilda.”
Image courtesy of Mr. Ray Conn, additional information courtesy of cuttings from Northern Echo 24th October 1937 and materials courtesy of Eric Jackson; also to Anthony Mugford for the update.
My gran and her family lived here they moved out in 1939 to be the first residents on Coronation Road