How the North Yorkshire coast’s industrial past is shaping its future

The coastline of North Yorkshire is well known for its beauty and history.  Quaint, ancient fishing villages and towns such as Staithes, Runswick, Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby, normally host over a million tourists a year, attracted by the natural beauty and authentic historic atmosphere, brought to life by tales of smuggling, seafaring and adventure. 

But look a little deeper, in particular at the villages and towns to the north of Whitby; and hiding in plain sight is evidence of an area forged by another ancient human endeavor: mining.

This Local History Month, we spoke to local historian, Dr Tosh Warwick, to learn more about the industrial heritage of our area, and how it has shaped the North Yorkshire and Teesside that we know today.

“Much of the urban landscape of North East England was born out of mining,” says Tosh. “Two hundred years ago, Middlesbrough was just a small hamlet with 25 inhabitants. However, in the mid-nineteenth century, the discovery of ironstone in the Cleveland Hills triggered a period of rapid expansion unprecedented in British history.” 

“It’s because of the ironstone that villages such as Skinningrove, Loftus and Carlin How grew around the mines, the Middlesbrough and Eston areas developed into Britain’s iron industry, and seaside resorts such as Redcar and Saltburn emerged, all served by railways built from Teesside iron and steel.” 

Soon, Teesside steel made from the Cleveland Hills ironstone was being used for iconic structures around the world. The Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Tyne Bridge and even Winston Churchill’s war bunker were built using steel from the region.

“In any major city you visit there'll be a landmark with Teesside steel in it,” says Tosh.  

The North Yorkshire coast’s mining industry forged a regional identity that has endured beyond the lifespan of the iron and steelworks. Tosh grew up in Middlesbrough, in close proximity to the Eston Hills. Despite never having worked in mining himself, he says mining is in his DNA. “I grew up in the shadow of the Dorman Long Tower. One grandad worked at the ironworks and the other at British Steel, so I suppose I’m very much embedded in that history and the products of mining. If you come from Teesside, you associate with steel and the processes behind it such as the hills and mines, the iron from the blast furnaces, and the steel that is crafted into landmarks of the world.”  

Many of the people who make up the Woodsmith Project’s 1,300 workforce tell similar stories.  For many, working on a project which is generating jobs and pride in an industry that is woven into the fabric of the community is hugely rewarding and motivating. 

Steven Rushby, born and bred on Teesside, is Anglo American’s Digital Manager, responsible for all the Woodsmith Project’s imagery, branding and visual content needs. “Prior to the Woodsmith Project, the perception was that the industry in this area was declining,” he says. “Leaving school, it never crossed my mind that there could be a future in industry for me. But the Woodsmith Project has brought that excitement back - it’s this feeling of being part of something amazing, with the potential to transform the area. It has opened up a new avenue of opportunity.” 

Steven’s family history is rooted in the region’s industry: his father, uncle and grandfather worked in the steel and chemical industries, and his great great grandfather was a miner on Eston ironstone mine. He recalls his mother driving around the vast Redcar steelworks and ICI chemical works (now Teesworks and Wilton International respectively) to pick up his father, before the sites’ decline in the late 90s and early 2000s. “It was a hive of activity,” he says. “Stood atop the Eston Hills, you could see this city of lights, smoke and chimney stacks.”