More information : An ironstone drift mine at the end of a steep incline in Little Ayton Wood. The remains on the site include steam engine houses (including a Sirocco engine house), and an electricty sub station. The presence of fanhouses shows that the mine had a ventilation system as after 1862, legislation demanded that each mine have more than one method of entry so one mine shaft became the working shaft (downcast), while the other (the upcast) was used to pull in large quantities of air to be pumped through the workings for the men, animals and to clear away the smoke from the explosives. Spoil from the mine was placed on a flat-top heap close to the workings. The mine was operational between 1909 and 1928. The sirocco fan house may have been constructed after the other mine features. (1)
The Ironstone mine, consisting of spoil heaps, tramways, a mine building and a Sirocco Fan House, are visible as earthworks and ruined buildings on air photographs. The site was also known as the Ayton Mines. Most appears to be extant on the latest 2009 vertical photography, though elements are under dense tree cover.
(2-3)
Recorded by NRIM, photographed. (4) |