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Rosedale Community News

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.

Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category

Land of Iron Update – 19 September 2019

The work on the line and kilns has continued apace since the last update. Work to stabilise and add some weather resistance to the Bank Top kilns is now completed.

Bank Top ironstone kilns in their new, stabilised state
A closer view of some of the pointing and new props on the back wall of the kilns

Sean Doughty and his team have also completed the restoration of the line through what was a swamp by Indian Steps by dumping heather bales and re-laying the track on top – an excellent job as you can see:

The restored track beside Indian Steps

The William Birch contractor team are busy on stabilising the southern buttresses of the Iron Kilns by removing vegetation growing in the stone and brick work and then repointing to weather proof the structures:

The remains of Black Houses have been re-pointed
Cherry picking at Iron Kilns

The site manager and foreman (on the left) briefing members of the project team

There is now considerable concern over parts of the Stone Kilns where there has been a major stone fall at bay no 10. Engineers and members of the project team have recently inspected the damage and plans are being made for remedial action to be taken soon.

A recent collapse of part of the inner wall of kiln no 10 at Stone Kilns

Keep watching this space for further updates!

Land of Iron Update – 31 August 2019

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.

Dumping heather bales at the Indian Steps cutting
Erecting scaffolding at the watering station at Blakey prior to restoration work
The Iron Kilns work site as at 1 September 2019
Some testing of lime mortar pointing on the southern buttress of the Iron Kilns

The line remains closed while all this work goes on – just a reminder!

Land of Iron Update – 4 August 2019

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.

Protective fencing has been put up prior to conservation work beginning.

Work to restore the trackway around Dale Head continues and the line remains closed until it is completed.

Rosedale Wildlife Week 23 to 29 June 2019

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).

9 lbs of delicious chocolate to be won!
Moth Morning 23 June
Fabulous Foliage 23 June
Photographing Wildlife by Steve Race, 23 June
Meadows and Pastures of Rosedale, 24 June
Some locals joining in!
From Goshawks to Whales – Richard Baines talking about the wildlife to be found in the National Park – 26 June
Hidden Hartoft Nature Walkers – 27 June 2019
Dippers, Nuthatches and Ring Ouzels
Bat Walkers about to set off – 28 June
Nature and History Walkers – 29 June
All over and celebrating at Graze on The Green!

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!

Rosedale Walking Festival 2019

The Walking Festival was blessed with warm weather with a good turnout of a mixture of regulars and many first time visitors.

The Wildlifers about to set off
The expectant Tea Shoppers being briefed by Ian Thompson
The pre-refreshed Ale Walkers ready to go!
The Goldsworthies setting off on Sunday 23 June.
Happy History Hikers
History Hikers at Hollins Mines

Aerial Survey – 14 May 2019

For those who may have wondered what all the helicopter activity was over Rosedale West on Tuesday 14 May – it was an Aerospatiale 350B aircraft belonging to the PDG Group based in Inverness who carry out surveys of power lines for the National Grid.

G-ORKY – nice registration. Perhaps President Putin is looking to invest in Rosedale?

Land of Iron Update – Bank Top Kilns

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.

Work ongoing as at 17 May 2019