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Category: Travel and Places
A nice Saturday morning trip along the Cleveland way, to explore the disused iron ore mine at Port Mulgrave, Saltburn by the sea. Old mines and smugglers coves galore, what could be better?
Port Mulgrave owes its existence to the ironstone industry. The blocked-up mine entrance can still be seen 50 feet above high water above what remains of the harbour.
Access to the mine is no small feat. A steep, narrow winding path leads down to the sea. The lungs of a non smoker are an advantage for the hard climb back to the top. This aerial shot shows the remains of the concrete jetty, that still survives despite the ravages of the sea.
The 1911 plans of the tunnel portal and jettys that carried the narrow gauge railway through the tunnel and down to the sea. The machinery at the harbour was finally dismantled in 1934 during which time the wooden gantry accidentally caught fire. Later the Royal Engineers destroyed the breakwater to prevent German forces using the place for an invasion.
Tunnelling began in 1854 and work on the harbour had started two years later. By the 1870s new more productive seams were found three miles away at the secluded valley of Easington Beck in Grinkle Park. The only feasible method of transporting the stone out was by sea and so the original tunnel at Port Mulgrave was extended for a further mile to connect to the Grinkle Park mine. Gradually the Port Mulgrave mine itself was abandoned but the harbour continued to be used for Grinkle Park ore until 1917 when a connection was made to the Middlesbrough to Whitby railway owing to the wartime dangers to shipping.
Invitation.
Is this a good idea?
A long exposure shot, available daylight, and the use of different coloured torches bring out the vivid textures in the old tunnel. It's a pity I didn't duck my head a bit more to keep it out of shot.
Things weren't looking good in the tunnel. There had been a major roof collapse near the entrance. There was a gap just wide enough to climb over to the other side.
Looking back at the portal from on top of the collapsed brick lining. I'm glad I wasn't standing here when it caved in.
Things looked even worse once on the other side of the collapse. Two small badly flooded tunnels await. I think I'll go down the right one.
Once past the collapse, we could see that water was pouring in from the next door tunnel. The water was quite deep at this point. The orange colour is iron contamination in the water.
A side passage runs to the left.
The water and mud inside is pretty deep. I didn't venture too far down there.
The tracks still left in situ and poking out of the mud were a real bonus, especially as the last train to run over them was 1917. The tunnel was then abandoned when a connection with the Middlesborough to Whitby line was created. Surprisingly there was only one man killed down here when a driver fell before waggons in 1876.
I first thought I could see a brick wall blocking off the tunnel. As I navigated down the tunnel, It became clear this was roof collapse number two. Once over the collapse, I could see the tunnel had failed for the 3rd time, that's when I said I'm not going any further down there and getting out now.
In the early 1850s Sir Charles Palmer opened his first ironstone mine on his coastal property at Rosedale in order to feed his blast furnaces at Jarrow on Tyneside. These furnaces produced iron for the shipyards owned by Charles and his brother George. The new harbour, from which the ore could be cheaply transported, was built within a year at a cost of £45.000 and was formally opened in 1857. In order to avoid confusion with the Rosedale ironworks in the heart of the North York Moors, Palmer renamed his coastal property Port Mulgrave in honour of the Earl of Mulgrave, a prominent local landowner.
When I go to the seaside I play bucket and spades with no expense spared.
How the jetty down to the sea used to look before they were demolished.
*The area has a wealth of tunnels and old mines, that I will be going back to and adding to this collection in the near future*
MY FULL LIST OF EXPLORES ARE HERE
UNLESS STATED ALL PICTURES ARE COPYRIGHT OF © phill.d urbEX photography AND ARE NOT TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.
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