A working photograph of the aerial ropeway, locally known as ’the buckets’. We can see a full bucket of ironstone being taken up to the iron and steel works, with the mine in the distance at the bottom of the picture. Simon Chapman advised: “Loftus mines ironstone was transported up to Skinningrove Works from 1895 by connection into the abandoned workings of the North Loftus mine to avoid paying haulage charges to the N.E.R. By 1932 the North Loftus shaft steam winding equipment was thoroughly antiquated so the aerial ropeway was built to avoid using the shaft which was later filled in.”
Image courtesy of the Pem Holliday Collection and others; thanks to Simon Chapman for information in the last paragraph.
Memories, this view is looking over the lane from Loftus to Skinningrove, the shortcut slanting down from it to the mine. The shale tips where we used to ‘sledge down’with one leg tucked under our backside, this to protect us from ripped trousers which were shorts in those days.Happy days .
It’s good to hear from you again, Maurice,….after many years! I remember the ‘Buzzer which I think used to signal the Shift changes at the Mine! The same Buzzer warned us kids that our dinner or tea was about ready and we should be making a bee-line for ‘Brickyard’….or Coronation Road in your case??
Come on Norman, give me a surname, I’ve been racking my old addled brains trying to place you. My brickyard connection was through my Granny (Sarah Cook) who lived in 20 Hartington St. Lots of memories of those days.