Trev's travails: Saltburn weekend

We recently attended the 16th Saltburn International Festival of Folk Music, Dance and Song. We had not visited this part of North Yorkshire before and we were impressed with what we saw - the Festival was great, too. Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a seaside resort in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the town is around 12 miles east of Middlesbrough.

The Saltburn Cliff Lift is one of the world's oldest water-powered funiculars. After the opening of Saltburn Pier in 1869, it was concluded that the steep cliff walk was deterring people from walking from the town to the pier.The cliff lift opened on 28th June 1884 and each tram holds 350 gallons of water.The journey lasts approximately 55 seconds.

Although Saltburn's most obvious features are of Victorian origin, its history goes back much further. There is evidence that it was inhabited by a hermit in the thirteenth century and even earlier, during Roman times, it was the site of a fortified Roman signalling station.

Saltburn's more covert history lies in smuggling and the town is immensely proud of its famous smuggling past.

The resort of Saltburn by the Sea was founded by the Victorian entrepreneur Henry Pease and the legacy of his vision is the Station complex, Zetland Hotel, Pier, Cliff Lift and Valley Gardens as well as the so called "jewel streets" along the sea front.

Old Saltburn is the original settlement, located in the Saltburn Gill. Records are scarce on its origins, but it was a centre for smugglers, and publican John Andrew is referred to as 'king of smugglers'. In 1856, the hamlet consisted of the Ship Inn and a row of houses, occupied by farmers and fishermen. In the mid-18th century, authors Laurence Sterne and John Hall-Stevenson enjoyed racing chariots on the sands at Saltburn

The Pease family developed Middlesbrough as an industrial centre and, after discovery of iron stone, the Stockton & Darlington Railway and the West Hartlepool Harbour and Railway Company developed routes into East Cleveland. By 1861, the S&DR reached Saltburn

Saltburn's attractions include a Grade II* renovated pier, where mystery knitters leave their wares

See link for further details of the knitters Saltburn's "yarn bombers"

Saltburn House and gardens

Statue of Henry Pease

A forest walk in the Valley Gardens gives access to the Italian Gardens

I took a short walk along the Cleveland Way to Warsett Hill

A cast iron sculpture created from a mining winding wheel

Standing just a field away from the cliff edge on the rugged coastline between Skinningrove and Saltburn is the Huntcliffe Guibal fan house. This fascinating reminder of a once great industry that was a major regional employer and which led to the development of many of the area’s coastal communities now stands derelict at one of the highest points along this stretch of the coast

The Guibal fan house, named after its Belgian inventor, was built around 1892. It was used for ventilating the ironstone mines whose tunnels criss-crossed their way through the rock beneath Warsett Hill. The central section of the fan house contained a huge fan nearly 10 feet wide fan. It would rotate at a speed of 50 rpm, drawing air through the mine, allowing the miners to work deep underground. It was powered by a static steam engine that drew the foul air up the shaft and then up a specially designed chimney to the open air. Once in operation fresh air would be drawn into the mine through the drift entrances and could be controlled and directed by a series of shutters or doors usually operated by young boys.