Tag: 19th-century
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Clitherbecks — Coal, Cottages and Calamity
Clitherbecks, a very lonely and remote place on the moors near Danby, yet attaining a certain picturesque quality beneath the blanket of snow. The dale is renowned for its coal mining legacy. Modest, isolated shafts were operated using a ‘horse gin.’ Upon reaching the seam, horizontal headings were dug in various directions until deemed too…
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Barbed Wire’s Impact on Land, Livestock, and Liberty
In 2003, the heavy metal band Iron Maiden released their album, Dance of Death, which including the epic ‘Paschendale’ [sic]: Whistles, shouts and more gun fire Lifeless bodies hang on barbed wire Battlefield nothing but a bloody tomb Be reunited with my dead friends soon Many soldiers eighteen year Drown in mud, no more tears…
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Yat stoops on Easby Bank
On a morning with ever-changing atmospheric conditions, I found myself in pursuit of that elusive sun. The weather played tricks, switching between drizzle and dullness one moment, and dazzling sunlight accompanied by rainbows the next. Thus, an opportunistic approach in selecting a photograph for today’s posting. This pair of ‘yat stoops‘ located on Easby Bank…
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Scarth Wood Moor
I’ve previously posted how Major Herbert Peake, of Bawtry Hall in Doncaster, gifted the 220 acres or so of Scarth Wood Moor upon the National Trust back in 1935. Peake has an interesting history. Born in 1859 to Henry Peake of Westholme in Lincolnshire, he wouldn’t have been exactly raised in the humblest of surroundings.…
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1874’s Graffiti: Dogs, a Fox, or a Pig on Broughton Bank
Today, I stumbled upon some Victorian graffiti – or should I say graffito? It depicts a duo of dogs, or perhaps a dog hot on the heels of a fox, or maybe even a pig in pursuit of a dog. The artistic merit of the second canine is up for debate. Dated with 1874, this…
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Storm Babet’s Legacy: The disappointing remains of the Esk
One of my particular aversions is walking, or running, along a beach, a seemingly endless repetition, a far-off point on the horizon never drawing closer. Yet, it was deemed worthwhile to undertake this stomp in order to see the substantial remains of a wooden sailing vessel cast ashore in the aftermath of Storm Babet. The…
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Toad-under-a-harrow
At first, it’s all dreary drizzle, the kind that makes you question your decision to leave the comfort of indoors. But wait an hour, and the heavens part ways, allowing the sun to cast its golden glow upon Roseberry, turning it into a vision against the still brooding rain clouds. A rainbow always spruces up…
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Pig-Iron to Steel: Skinningrove’s Industrial History
Have you ever pondered the origins of Skinningrove, nestled in this sheltered valley leading to the North Sea? What led to its establishment there? I certainly have. Back in 1873, when the Loftus Iron Company first erected two blast furnaces on that hill overlooking the valley, the iron-smelting industry was already thriving in the Cleveland…
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Cutting the First Sod on the Codhill Branch on the Gisbro’ and Middlesbro’ Railway
Cutting the First Sod on the Codhill Branch on the Gisbro’ and Middlesbro’ Railway. — It having been generally circulated throughout the town of Gisbro’ and neighbourhood that the first sod on the Codhill branch of the Middlesbro’ and Gisbro’ railway for the working of ironstone would be removed on Monday last, a large company…
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Dipping Toes and Donning Macintoshes: A History of Sea-Side Bathing
Numerous folk were having a refreshing dip at Saltburn this morning, seizing the opportunity presented by the autumn sun’s warm rays and the surging waves. The surfers had donned their wet-suits, which bestowed upon them some protection against the chilly clutches of the North Sea. One fellow strolling back along the shore confessed that it…