Bricks of Cumbria

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Brick collection from quarries and mines in Cumbria from 1850 This collection of bricks varies from the hand made with finger marks, to engineered bricks of furnaces and shaped bricks of archways.  The collection was bought from Ian Tyler when he retired from his Keswick Mining Museum and has been increased over the years. Ian […]

Mining and Minerals in Cumbria video

Miners Picking At Mine

Mining and Minerals in Cumbria video Cumbria’s geology and mineral wealth has attracted mining for centuries and the landscape of the Lake District gives clues to the hard work and ingenuity of the people who sought and fought for the mineral rewards. Ian Tyler collected a wealth of minerals, tools, photos and experiences about mining […]

Brick collection from quarries and mines in Cumbria from 1850 video

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Brick collection from quarries and mines in Cumbria from 1850 The buildings for Cumbria’s industry were built with bricks without which Cumbria’s mineral wealth would not have been exploited. Ian Tyler explored the mines and quarries of the North of England and in his exploits he collected a wealth of minerals, tools, photos and bricks. […]

Keswick to Penrith Railway video

Railway Silloth Station

Keswick Railway oral history video Illustrated oral history of Keswick to Penrith railway Cumberland, now Cumbria In 1944 when this 16 years old applied to work on the Keswick to Penrith railway.  The train was the main delivery service with parcels, mail and even live chickens – what a racket!   2:12 minutes   Oral history of Penrith […]

Steam Digger From The Deep video

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Steam Digger working at Threlkeld Quarry Cumbria video Video of steam digger working at Threlkeld Quarry Ray Hooley organised volunteers to recover it from the flooded sand quarry where it had been left to rot.  Apprentices at Ruston works initially renovated it, then it was unused until transported to the Vintage Excavator Trust at Threlkeld […]

Steel Works rail rolling line in Workington video

Steel Works Aerial View

Steel Works rail rolling line in Workington video Workington produced steel for 125 years culminating in Corus creating annually enough rail to run from Workington to Istanbul along with 400,000 steel sleepers made in the plant.  Daily 1000 tons of steel blooms were delivered from the latest steel works in the North East to Workington […]

Sir Henry Bessemer a Tribute for Steel & Rail at Workington Cumbria Video

Bessemer Converter Science Museum

Workington Steel & Rail from Bessemer’s Convertor Sir Henry Bessemer A Tribute to the Inventor Sir Henry Bessemer was a prolific inventor born in 1813.  His genius created machines for production of glass, print, sugar and an eccentric anti rolling device for passenger ships.  In the Crimean war he invented the rifled bore for accurately […]

Steel Making by Bessemer Convertor at Workington Cumbria video

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Steel Making by Bessemer Convertor at Workington Cumbria Sir Henry Bessemer created a new process for making steel and his earliest Bessemser Converters were sited at Workington and Millom Cumbria UK. West Cumbria is blessed with coal, iron ore and limestone so iron making became well established at Workington and Millom with ships, locos and […]

Explosion at Broughton Moor munitions dump Video

Broughton Moor WW2 Munitions Building Emergency Sign

Explosion at Broughton Moor Munitions Dump video Oral history by Cockermouth lady about her mother working at the munitions factory at the Royal Navy Armaments Depot, locally known as “The Dump” in Broughton Moor in West Cumbria.  Huge shells were prepared and stored there and this lady’s mother worked there in WW2.  One day her mother came […]