1847

The Discovery of Ironstone

Samuel Frederick Okey was looking for ironstone pieces on the beach at Skinningrove in 1847 when a man, Anthony Lax Maynard, told him that there was a seam of ironstone on some land that he owned. A friend of Samuel Okey agreed to work the stone but he soon sold the lease to Messrs Roseby for a glass of brandy and water! Messrs Roseby started to mine at Skinningrove on 7 August 1848. The ironstone was hauled by horses along a short railway to a jetty where it was taken to Middlesbrough by boat.

1865

Opening of the Railway

Skinningrove Mine was closed between 1856 and 1865 and it reopened as Loftus Mine when the Skinningrove railway was completed. After the opening of the railway the ironstone was taken to Middlesbrough by train instead of by boat..

1865

Opening of the North Drift

In 1865 the North Drift at Lofus Mine was opened. The North Drift was one of the entrances to the mine and today visitors to the Museum can walk into this entrance.

1875

Opening of the South Drift

In 1875 the South Drift at Loftus Mine was opened.

1889

Flooding

In October 1889 bad weather caused problems in Skinningrove. Heavy rain caused flooding which damaged several footbridges in the village. Part of an embankment was washed away and two railway wagons ended up in the beck that runs through Skinningrove.

1895

Flu among Horses

On Friday 12 July 1895, a local newspaper, the Loftus Advertiser, reported that betweem 20 and 30 of the horses at Loftus Mine had a type of flu known as "pink eye". This made the horses very weak and unable to work. This illness slowed down the working of the mine because the Mine Manager did not want to bring in new horses in case they caught the illness.

1896

First Shipment of Ironstone Abroad

In May 1896 the first shipment of pig iron was sent abroad to the continent. Before this date iron had only ever been shipped to Scotland.

1897

Fatality

In September 1897, James Minican slipped in front of a tub and was run over. He was taken to hospital but died soon after being admitted. He is buried in Loftus Cemetery.

1900

Accident

There was a serious explosion at Loftus Mine in June 1900. Three men were seriously burned about the head, face, arms and hands when lamps they were carrying ignited gas in the mine. The men suffered from shock but soon recovered.

1901

Job Losses

250 men at Loftus Mine lost their jobs because trade was poor in February 1901.

1909

Train Crash

In about 1909 a locomotive ran away and hit the buffers at Skinningrove.

1911

Sirocco Fan

A Sirocco Fan was installed in the mine in 1911. The fan could reverse the airflow in the mine and was used to remove poor air and force clean air into the mine. Today this fan can still be seen at The Tom Leonard Mining Museum.

1914

The First World War

The start of the First World War led to a brisk demand for ironstone but Loftus Mine struggled to deal with the demand because so many men had signed up to go and fight the war.

1915

Air Raid

In September 1915, an air raid by Zeppelins (German airships) on Skinningrove Works cause a small amount of damage. A sceond attack by Zeppelins in May 1916 caused scattered damage. During air raids local people used the drift entrances to the mine as air raid shelters.

1939

The Second World War

During the Second World War about 500 men were employed at Loftus Mine. Again the drift entrances were used as air raid shelters.

1958

Closure of Loftus Mine

The amount of ironstone being mined at Loftus Mine in 1957 totalled 70, 086 tons. The same amount of ironstone would have been produced in two months at the beginning of the century. The mine cost too much to run and in April 1958, Skinningrove Iron Company decided to close the mine. The mine finally closed on 26 September 1958 and of the 196 men working at the mine, 107 were re-employed at the steelworks.