Welcome to the Rosedale blog. This is where we share news and information about events in Rosedale and the wider community throughout the year. You’ll also find news about the village timetable, our micro enterprises, school events, clubs, and lively socials.
Image: Rosedale Show By Patrick Chambers
Work continues to stabilise and conserve the Bank Top ironstone kilns and it should be finished by mid September. Sean Doughty and his team are busy working their way around the line from Blakey to Reeking Gill, restoring culverts and cutting new ones where necessary as well as diverting the path around the worst of the swampy areas.
The line remains closed while all this work goes on – just a reminder!
As reported earlier, work is well under way on the Bank Top kilns. Now work has started on the northerly of the two sets of kilns at East Mines to stabilise and preserve what is possible with these extensive remains.
Work to restore the trackway around Dale Head continues and the line remains closed until it is completed.
Natural England have announced the temporary removal of open access to the old railway line from Reeking Gill around Dale Head to Blakey Junction from 8 July to 30 September to allow essential work to be done restore the path as part of the Land of Iron project- see the flyer for details:
Signage has been put by NYMNP at 16 access points to the line around the dale.
As part of the Land of Iron Project, The National Park is running a series of wildlife events in and around Rosedale. The programme dates, times and locations are shown in an earlier post and there is time to book in to more of these fascinating events which reveal the rich diversity of nature within the dale – and by attending any of them there is the opportunity to win a 4kg/9lb chocolate egg! (see below).
In summary, the week was a great success with most of the varied events being well attended. A huge range of animal and plant species were spotted and studied, of which some of the many highlights were spotting the rare Arctic Starflower in Hartoft, the rarer Tachina Grossa, a fly with attitude, along with bird wing moths as well as hearing (with the aid of bat detectors) and then watching Daubenton’s bats hunting by night along the River Seven at Dunn Car bridge.
Huge thanks to Elspeth ingleby and Sam Newton from the National Park for organising a truly fascinating, entertaining and instructive week – more please next year!
A reminder that the Rosedale Wildlife Week runs with a varied and fascinating programme from Sunday 23 June to Saturday 29 June. All the events are free and to attend and take part, please book through www.northyorkmoors.eventbrite.com or call 01493 772738.
In summary the programme is:
Sunday 23 June: 0900: Moth Morning ,Village Green. 1000 – Fabulous Flora, Churchyard, 1900 – Photographing Wildlife, Updale Reading Room
Monday 24 June: 1000 – Meadows and Pastures of Rosedale, 1900 – Gardening with Nature for Nature, Reading Room.
Tuesday 25 June: 1000 – Wildlife Walk, Reading Room.
Wednesday 26 June: 1000 – Wild Woods of Rosedale, Reading Room, 1900 – Wildlife of The North York Moors, Reading Room.
Thursday 27 June: 1000 – Hidden Hartoft Wildlife Walk, Reading Room, 1900 – The Wildlife of Rosedale, Reading Room
Friday 28 June: 1000 – Aquatic Rosedale, Reading Room, 2100 – Bats In The Abbey, Village Green
Saturday 29 June: 0900 – Moth Morning, Reading Room, 1030 – Village Nature Walk, Village Green
As reported previously, work continues to stabilise the ironstone roasting kilns at Bank Top. The contractors are currently strengthening and re-inforcing the back wall to prevent further stone falls and are also re-pointing the interior of the arches top and bottom to stop water ingress.
The work is progressing well, although no completion date is yet known for the work as more problems become evident in the structure. Further updates will be posted here soon.
Work has started today, Monday 13 May, on conserving and stabilising the ironstone roasting kilns at Bank Top, Rosedale. Initially, the area around the kilns will be fenced off and scaffolding erected to allow William Birch Ltd to carry out much needed conservation work on these impressive monuments to Rosedale’s ironstone ‘Klondike’ which started here at West Mines in 1856.
A lot of work has been done under the project on the ironstone workings and railway line at East Mines (see previous LoI updates) so it is good to see that West Mines, also known as Low Works, are now getting the same treatment.
Access to the lower car park at Bank Top will be restricted during the period of works so visitors are encouraged to use the upper car park.
If you have been up on the line recently you will have seen some major work completed to stabilise the old track bed by clearing old culverts and making new ones to ensure that water drains away without eroding the track and path.
If you are interested in helping out, check the NYMNP website at www.northyorkmoors.org.uk to see what volunteer tasks are planned for next year.
The War Memorial in Rosedale Abbey’s churchyard has been cleaned for the first time in decades and work is underway to re-paint the names of all those commemorated on the plinth who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.
Short biographies of all those who fell in the Great War are on display in the church, especially poignant this year as Remembrance Sunday coincides with the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day. Details of local commemorations will be published shortly.