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Lastingham, Rosedale, Farndale, Hutton-le-Hole, Bransdale INDEX 8. A walk around Rosedale and the old mines See also Rosedale Village and Environs A spot of Industrial Archaeology
At one time, the much sought after ironstone! These pictures illustrate Route 3 "Rosedale's Mineral Railway" from "Ten Scenic Walks around Rosedale, Farndale and Hutton-le-Hole" by J. Brian Beadle or the "Upper Rosedale" walk from "Walking on the North York Moors" compiled by the Ramblers Association but starting from the car park near Blakey Ridge (12 miles). The pictures were mainly taken on glorious winter days and very grey winter days! In 1861 a railway was constructed from Battersby Junction below the Moors in the east and came east right across to the east side Rosedale by 1865. However as the ironstone ran out the line closed in 1929, but there is considerable industrial archaeological evidence for its existence.
The walk start car park is on the right of the picture (two cars in sight), on the left of the road just beyond the Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge in the Hutton-le-Hole direction. Rosedale is on the left (Farndale is out of sight on the right).
Only works for ghost trains these days over the wild moorland!
Across the middle of the picture you can just make out where the railway track ran.
Rather more plain to see on closer inspection!
Sheep and building ruins in the industrial archaeological landscape.
One of many sections of embankments.
The upper and lower levels railway track beds.
The walls of the giant kilns (ovens) used to roast the ore before transportation to the iron furnaces of Teesside and Middlesbrough by railway.
The stones of the kiln walls are red from the furnace chemistry. You can see the bed of the lower railway track at their foot.
Looking back north along the bed of the old mineral railway line you can climb up above the great iron-ore roasting kilns.
From the top of the south-east kilns you can see the upper and lower railway embankments on the east side of Rosedale.
Last shot of the kilns.
The ghostly remains of the mining buildings, like some ruinous medieval castle!, before heading along on the old railway 'path' round to Blakey Ridge and perhaps call in at the Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge, a pub that goes back to the 16th century.
An entrance arch to?
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A disused airshaft.
The ruinous remnants of mining buildings and loading staithes (loading bays) above Hill Cottages on the south-east side of Rosedale.
This ends the section east side of Rosedale. You ascend the road up out of Rosedale Abbey to pick up the railway track to return to Blakey Ridge car park.
Near Rosedale Bank Top are the remains of the kilns (picture below) that roasted iron ore to drive off water and carbon dioxide gas to concentrate the iron-ore before transportation to the Teesside-Middlesbrough blast furnaces. The remains of the kilns are near the top of the 'Rosedale Chimney', a very steep road up from Rosedale Abbey.
I usually set off on the western side of Rosedale to go round in a clockwise direction and on the way you can see across to the iron-ore kilns (more on these see further up the page).
There are several old mine shafts close to the paths (ex old ironstone railway track) and look down into them - with great care!
... and more ruins of old mining buildings stand lonely and forlorn, again like the remains of a devastated medieval castle!
There is a 'memorial' to the miners of Rosedale.
The inscriptions on either side of the bench are ...
In the dark, working hard, loading up the wooden cart,
Work-shift over, in the sun, on the hill, having fun. An appropriate way to end this page - a homage to all miners See also Rosedale Village and Environs
Lastingham, Rosedale, Farndale, Hutton-le-Hole and Bransdale INDEX North Yorkshire Moors * docspics photos images pictures © Phil Brown |
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