The last tea and chat meeting of the Society for 2019 was held on Sunday 1 December in the Updale Reading Room, when the members made a presentation to Carol Cockerill and Margaret Truran to thank them for their hard work in support of the Society throughout the year and the wonderful tea and cakes which make each meeting such a treat.

Just a reminder that the meetings of the RHS are held on the first Sunday of each month from 2.00 to 4.00pm. Entry is free and there is a wealth of archive material and internet access available on the social, family and industrial of Rosedale – so why not come along on Sunday 5 January 2019 for a warm welcome, great chat and excellent tea and cakes!

The coffee morning held in the Coach House Inn on Saturday 5 October between 10.00 to 12.00 am was aid of the Rosedale History Society. There were photographic displays, including Land of Iron work-in-progress updates along with the customary raffle and cake sales, all of which raised £215 for the Society – thanks to all who contributed.

Many thanks also the Beth from the Coach House and to Margaret, Carol and Janet for running the raffle.

The next coffee morning on Saturday 2 November will be the popular craft fair sponsored by the Rosedale WI. Also there will be another chance to buy the new and colourful Rosedale 2020 calendar at £10 per copy, so come along then, enjoy the coffee, cakes and craft displays and get some early Christmas presents in the bag.

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.

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.

As today, Sunday 2 December, was the last tea and chat meeting of the Society for 2018, the members presented Carol Cockerill and Margaret Truran with early Christmas presents in grateful thanks for the delicious tea and cakes they provide for the meetings throughout the year and which are such a well known feature of these events!

The next regular meeting of the Society will be on Sunday 6 January, from 2.00 to 4.00pm in the Updale Reading Room – all are most welcome and in the meantime a very Happy Christmas and a stimulating New Year to everyone.

As throughout the nation, people of Rosedale gathered at our war memorial on Sunday 11 November to lay wreaths and remember those from the dale who gave their lives in the Great War and in subsequent conflicts.

Before the wreath laying, a Book of Remembrance, prepared by the Rosedale History Society to commemorate those men who gave their lives and also those who served and returned, was presented to the church for permanent display.

We Will Remember Them

For your diaries – the coffee morning in the coach House Inn on Saturday 6 October from 10.00am to 12.00am will be in aid of the Rosedale History Society. Please come along and enjoy the company and see the displays, while supporting the work of the RHS which is doing research into local historical projects including the 1918 Armistice, the centenary of which is next month.

Also, a reminder that the the usual RHS Tea and Chat will be on Sunday 7 October from 2.00 to 4.00pm at the Updale Reading Room, where there will again be excellent tea and cakes available as well as an extensive archive of research material of local and family history.

The first of the combined Rosedale walking and heritage festival went well, with good weather on both days for the walkers and lots of visitors to the Rosedale History Society and Land of Iron heritage information stands. The combined format was a great success, with a lot of very positive feedback from walkers and visitors, such that the final number for this year’s event are around 121 walkers or 50% more than last year, a great tribute to the tireless efforts of Kate Jones and Ian Thompson in organising and promoting the event, to all those who volunteered their time and expertise as walk leaders and to the Rosedale History Society and the Land Of Iron project for their fascinating stands. Watch out for details of the 2019 festival!

The world renowned artist, Andy Goldsworthy, gave a talk last evening to an audience of over 50 locals and visitors in the Reading Room on his art installations in Northdale.

Andy started with a fascinating resume of some of his works around the world and in Britain, before going into detail on the current installations in Northdale. Two have been completed, the Red Wall near West Northdale Farm and the Fireplace north of Northdale Farm, with two more under way at Job’s Well and in Hangingstone House. He hopes to gain permission to undertake a few more such works with all of them to be connected by a pathway. The whole projected is being funded by the David Ross Foundation, whose Artistic Director, Sophie Clark was present at the talk.

Thanks to the Barraclough family for the use of their field for parking and the the Rosedale History Society for sponsoring the event and providing refreshments