Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum

Deepdale
Skinningrove
Cleveland
TS13 4AP
Tel: +44 (0) 1287 642 877
Fax: +44 (0) 1287 642 970

History

Skinningrove was in the manor of Loftus during the Saxon times and was held by Earl Siward, who Shakespeare immortalised as Macbeth. It passed to Hugh de Abrincis, Earl of Chester after the Norman Conquest but soon after this the land came into the estates of William de Percy who in 1133 erected Handale Priory which is situated approximately 2 miles to the south and was “staffed“ by Nuns of the Benedictine Order until the dissolution in 1544. Other landowners have included the Stewart and the Moore families and also Sir Lawrence Dundas, who was an ancestor of the Earl of Zetland. The locality became prominent in the 17th Century when deposits of Alum were discovered in the area. Alum is a source of aluminium sulphate, which at this time was used in the process of dying cloth, tanning hides and making parchment. There were several sites around the area and it is said that the alum trade was classed as England’s earliest chemical industry. Many workers came to the area from Italy to bring their experience in working and mining alum. The industry thrived from 1615 to c1870 when the mines became uneconomical due to technological advances elsewhere.

Paranormal Activity

There are reports of a number of the locations at the Cleveland Ironstone Mine being highly active. In the North Drift - it is said that a number of people on the daily tours have reported the sighting of a man that walks left to right across the tunnel near to the entrance. This apparition has appeared not only in daylight to the museums visitors but also by groups who have investigated the site. A number of animal sounds have been heard around the mine and a cat has been heard on numerous occasions in the drift. Numerous sounds have been heard. For instance, footsteps walking on pavement stones have been heard above the furthest part of the mines although for years it has been covered by about 12 foot of mud. Sounds from below the mines - now cut off and blocked off for safety reasons - have also been heard, particularly the sound of something being dragged across gravel. In the sound-room audibles have been heard. Crying and moaning, a litte boy saying hello and tapping sounds have all been recorded at times. In the Ambulance room a spirit is said to reside and numerous people have reported seeing the shadow of a man moving around within the Ambulance room and the blacksmiths that is attached to it. Upon investigation, no-one has been in the room. This room, it is said, also produces a loud rumbling sound that has been picked up on a cameras microphone when the room had previously been locked off - no source for the noise has ever been found.