The railway floated across a bog on tree trunks and how it shaped the North York Moors

The 100 years following the opening of the Whitby and Pickering railway in 1835 saw an explosion of ironstone mining in Rosedale and the Esk Valley, along with pioneering railways that connected these remote valleys to Teesside and the wider world.

Over the last five years, The Land of Iron Project has protected and conserved the most iconic of these monuments and worked alongside farmers, land managers and Estates who manage the land in these areas today.

Some species adapted well to the conditions industry left behind, such as the gradually disappearing humps and hollows of the historic Rosedale railway providing ideal nesting places for ring ouzel, an increasingly rare migratory thrush, similar to a blackbird.

A number of other species were negatively impacted and hang on only in fragments of ancient woodland and isolated pockets of traditional hay meadows.

Work to conserve and enhance the historic and natural heritage has often been interconnected, such as restoring an area of peatland at Fen Bog in the Murk Esk. An area of the peatland was fenced off from grazing, and partially drained during construction of the Whitby and Pickering Railway during the 1830s.

This railway was floated across the bog on tree trunks overlaid with sheep’s fleeces, the basis of which the current North Yorkshire Moors Railway still runs over today.

The Project has worked to move the fence line along the railway to enable suitable grazing of this area, and has blocked ditches to raise the overall water level.

These measures will enhance carbon storage and provide better habitat for specialist species including the large heath butterfly. Other strategically placed ditches will act to keep excess water off the railway embankments, protecting this historic line.

At times care has been needed for certain projects to prevent any impact on the natural heritage. Work to reinstate the old railway track above Rosedale was done in a way that limited such effects, including floating part of the path on heather bales to retain wetlands that have developed due to impeded drainage after the railway closed in 1929.

Other work has been focused totally on natural heritage that pre-dates any of the historic structures. Restoration of ancient woodlands and wood pastures has involved thinning and felling conifers, clearing invasive rhododendron and planting broadleaf trees. This will ensure continuity of these special habitats for species including rare saproxylic invertebrates of dead and decaying wood.

The Project has also provided grants for land managers to carry out environmentally beneficial work, such as enhancing and creating traditional hay meadows and species rich pastures, planting and restoring hedgerows, and erecting riverside fencing to reduce erosion and sediment input. All this helps to increase and connect great habitat throughout the area, benefitting biodiversity in general.

The Land of Iron Project has conserved not only the industrial heritage, but has created a legacy of natural heritage that will continue to enhance the area for centuries to come.

More information on the Land of Iron Project go to northyorkmoors.org.uk/landofiron