Runswick Bay’s Ironworks Beneath the Cliff

Today I was at a National Trust property near Runswick Bay, a hidden gem previously unknown to me. Spanning a 5-hectare meadow, this land is a tapestry of ragwort, thistles, docks, and the occasional blackthorn and willow saplings, all requiring occasional management.

The property also boasts 4.5 hectares of precipitous, overgrown cliff and approximately 225 metres of coastline. Acquired in 1992 with Enterprise Neptune funds and a Countryside Commission grant, it harbours an unexpected secret.

Beneath the cliff, entangled in bramble and blackthorn, lie the remnants of a 19th-century ironworks. This was no modest forge but a full-scale blast furnace operation, complete with furnaces, calcining kilns, a boiler plant, and a blowing engine, all serviced by mines and waggonways. Surprisingly, there is no mention of this enterprise on any information board along the coastal footpath which runs along the cliff edge. Perhaps its omission is due to its unfortunate history, as we often prefer to forget ventures that end in failure and despair¹Owen, J.S. THE IRONWORKS AT RUNSWICK. The Cleveland Industrial Archaeologist Research Report No.5. 1988.²National Trust heritage records MNA144351/ MNA145500/ MNA152734/  MNA152733/ MNA152732/ MNA144359/ MNA144045.

The construction of these blast furnaces at the base of formidable cliffs, reliant solely on sea transport and coke from Durham, on foundations of unstable shale, was a venture fraught with peril. Promoted by speculators from Leeds, the project’s motives remain enigmatic.

The Victoria Ironstone Company embarked on this audacious venture in 1856, building a mine, ironworks, and harbour at the water’s edge. The ironstone seam lies near the cliff top, directly above the furnaces and kilns. The main plant stood on an undercliff shelf, with the harbour below on the foreshore, connected by tramways to transport coke, limestone, and pig-iron. A sandstone jetty and wooden piers facilitated these movements, and two reservoirs on the cliff top supplied fresh water. The works, costing over £30,000, saw one set of boilers lost to the depths of Runswick Bay during transit.

In 1858, after producing a mere 100 tons of iron, the works were devastated by a landslip, marking the end for the Victoria company. By 1859, the Albert Iron and Cement Company had taken over, but it too failed. Sporadic attempts to revive the plant persisted until 1869, when it was auctioned for £1,005.

The temptation to descend the cliff and explore the ruins is great, but it would be a formidable expedition. Perhaps a more prudent approach would be by boat, from below.

• 1
  Owen, J.S. THE IRONWORKS AT RUNSWICK. The Cleveland Industrial Archaeologist Research Report No.5. 1988.
• 2
  National Trust heritage records MNA144351/ MNA145500/ MNA152734/  MNA152733/ MNA152732/ MNA144359/ MNA144045