Of the three ironstone mines in the Great Ayton area, Ayton Banks Mine had the most difficult access. An aerial cableway had to be constructed to carry the ore the 1½ miles down to the North Eastern Railway. The mine was in operation for only sixteen years, from 1910 to 1926. First by the Tees Furnace Company then Burton & Sons. Unusually, because of the restricted access, spoil from the mine had to be carried and dumped uphill from the drift entrance.
The mine’s drift entrance have long since been filled in. In the photo the snow accentuates the remaining structures.
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