Skinningrove | Co-Curate

Skinningrove | Co-Curate
Skinningrove is a coastal village located two and a half miles South East of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, in North Yorkshire and within the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland. The village is located within the valley of Skinningrove Beck and is on the route of the Cleveland Way costal path. Skinningrove has an important place in the industrial history of the North East with its ironstone mine established in 1848 and iron smelting in 1874, with this heritage celebrated in the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum.

Skinningrove is a village in North Yorkshire, England. Its name is Viking influenced and is thought to mean Skinners' grove or pit.

History

The village had an agricultural and fishing economy until the opening of local ironstone workings in 1848 initiated an industrialisation boom. A railway was built by 1865, and iron smelting began in 1874. A jetty on the coast built in 1880 allowed seagoing vessels to carry heavy cargoes from the area. Mining continued until 1958 and primary iron production until the 1970s.

Contemporary description

The Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum (formerly the Tom Leonard Mining Museum) describes the village's mining heritage, providing a unique underground experience and an insight into how 6.2 million tons of ironstone was extracted from Skinningrove. The village has a large natural sand beach used for recreational fishing and a beck, which occasionally floods, notably in the year 2000. It also has the Riverside Building community centre which is on the site of a former school. There is a Methodist chapel which has services on a Sunday at 18:00. There is also a fish and chip shop, a community centre and general dealers and post office. Every year Skinningrove hosts a bonfire and fireworks display which attracts hundreds of people from around North Yorkshire. Each year the bonfire is based on a different theme. The village is also home to the Kaskane Holiday Cottages which offers cottage style accommodation to visitors from nationwide, it also hosts a restaurant/bar which is popular with locals.

The Cleveland Way runs through the village.

Robert Thorne
Author

Robert Thorne

Robert Thorne covers electric vehicle innovations, autonomous driving systems, global mobility trends, and automotive engineering developments.