There is little to be seen of our industrial past, so its important stories about our heritage are told. In 1850 ironstone was discovered in the Eston Hills above Middlebrough, and shortly afterwards Prime Minister William Gladstone came North and described the iron making town as an "infant Hercules." Here is Alistair Brownlee, a radio reporter commenting on a Boro match. It was the UEFA Cup Semi Final 2nd Leg, Middlesbrough had lost the first leg away 1-0, and their opponents Steaua Bucharest scored another 2 goals in the first 24 minutes of the 2nd leg; if they were to go to the final in Eindhoven, Boro had to score 4 goals in 66 minutes; in the 89th minute of the match Boro scored their fourth goal.
( A Parmo is a Middlesbrough delicacy.)
Showing posts with label ironstone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ironstone. Show all posts
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Sunday, 23 August 2009
Letter in the local Paper
Dear Editor,
For years I have been complaining about the way the history of this region is been distorted, now that Teesside is been dropped, in favour of the more upmarket Tees Valley, it is even more important that museums in this region tell the story of our industrial heritage. Our steel and chemical industries are in trouble, the last of hundreds of blast furnaces is in danger of closing, just three miles away is Kirkleatham Museum, subsidised by thousands of people linked to our heavy industries. The only signs of the steel industry at the museum is an unnamed blast furnace tub near the entrance and an old steel ladle, covered in moss and ivy, behind the staff car park, the chemical industry across the road fairs even worse. Two years ago rare Saxon jewels were found in a field near Loftus, a few hundred yards away is an abandoned quarry, there are several similar ones in our region, where for 270 years men and woman, with little understanding of chemistry, worked in dangerous conditions to turn stone into crystallised alum, important for Britain’s wool industry. The museum that wants to buy and display the Loftus Saxon jewels makes no mention of Britain’s first chemical industry. Kirkleatham Museum does have a room telling the story of our ironstone industry, but a free museum shouldn’t be competing with volunteers from the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum and ignoring our other heavy industries. John Lawson
For years I have been complaining about the way the history of this region is been distorted, now that Teesside is been dropped, in favour of the more upmarket Tees Valley, it is even more important that museums in this region tell the story of our industrial heritage. Our steel and chemical industries are in trouble, the last of hundreds of blast furnaces is in danger of closing, just three miles away is Kirkleatham Museum, subsidised by thousands of people linked to our heavy industries. The only signs of the steel industry at the museum is an unnamed blast furnace tub near the entrance and an old steel ladle, covered in moss and ivy, behind the staff car park, the chemical industry across the road fairs even worse. Two years ago rare Saxon jewels were found in a field near Loftus, a few hundred yards away is an abandoned quarry, there are several similar ones in our region, where for 270 years men and woman, with little understanding of chemistry, worked in dangerous conditions to turn stone into crystallised alum, important for Britain’s wool industry. The museum that wants to buy and display the Loftus Saxon jewels makes no mention of Britain’s first chemical industry. Kirkleatham Museum does have a room telling the story of our ironstone industry, but a free museum shouldn’t be competing with volunteers from the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum and ignoring our other heavy industries. John Lawson
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