Land of Iron, Skinningrove: History of iron mining in Yorkshire during the Industrial Revolution
The Land of Iron in Skinningrove is a museum that tells and preserves the history of the iron and steel industries in Cleveland and North Yorkshire.
Land of Iron museum is located on the site of the first ironstone mine in Cleveland and is an exploration of the area’s rich industrial and social histories.
The history of iron mining dates back more than 170 years when the area and its people provided more than a third of the world’s iron and steel.
Land of Iron was founded by Tom Leonard, a local journalist who was reporting on the ironstone mine closures.
He became increasingly aware of remains of the ironstone mining industry that were quickly being lost, according to the museum’s website.
After years of collecting all the memorabilia he could, Tom established the museum in 1978 to house his collection and to celebrate the legacy of the industry through the preservation, conservation and exhibition of related artefacts, photographs and documents.
The museum opened to the public in 1983 and later became Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum.
History of iron making in Yorkshire
During the Industrial Revolution, the valleys and hills in the North York Moors were filled with smoke, fire and noise.
The ironstone mining in Cleveland and North Yorkshire took place on a sizeable scale from the 1830s to the 1960s.
Around the year of 1850, large seams of ironstone were discovered in the Cleveland Hills, later also in and around Rosedale and Eskdale.
The industry’s success soared in 20 years by 1870, and ironstone from the Cleveland part of Yorkshire was providing 38 per cent of the steel and iron of Britain.
The significant impacts ironstone had on the region included rapid urbanisation and economic growth, industrial transformation by intense mining activity including the construction of mines, railways and specialised kilns.
The mining also brought about new communities, development of infrastructure, Cleveland ironstone was used to produce iron and steel for major international and national projects and it has also had long-term environmental and social impacts such as the now-preserved remains of the Rosedale ironstone industry.
Ironstone workings in the area declined from the 1930s onwards as imported iron ore could be shipped in large quantities to the quaysides at Middlesbrough and on the Tyne.
The last commercially operated ironstone mine was near Skelton-in-Cleveland; the North Skelton Mine closed in January 1964.