The village had an agricultural and fishing economy, until the opening of local ironstone workings, in 1848, initiated an industrialisation boom. A railway was built by 1865, and iron smelting began in 1874. A jetty on the coast, built in 1880, allowed seagoing vessels to carry heavy cargoes from the area. Mining continued until 1958, and primary iron production until the 1970s.[1]
Skinningrove was formerly a township in the parish of Brotton.[4] In 1866, it became a separate civil parish.[5]
Oarfish
Skinningrove showing the North Sea in the background
On 17 February 2003, a rarely seen oarfish was caught by angler Val Fletcher, using a fishing rodbaited with squid.[6] The fish was 11ft4in (3.3m) long and weighed 140lb (63.5kg). Graham Hill, the science officer at the Deep, an aquarium in Hull, said that he had never heard of another oarfish being caught off the coast of Britain. The Natural History Museum in London said that it would have been interested in preserving the fish in its permanent collection; however the fish had been 'cut up into steaks' before any scientists could examine it.
Landmarks
Beach of Skinningrove
The Land of Iron (formerly the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum and the Tom Leonard Mining Museum) displays the village's mining heritage. It provides an underground experience and an insight into how 6.2million tons of ironstone was extracted from Skinningrove mines.
The village has a large natural sandy beach used for recreational fishing and a beck, which occasionally floods, notably in 2000.
The Methodist chapel closed in 2024, due to lack of numbers. It has been converted into two houses. The pipe organ from the chapel, which dates from 1910, was sold to a local museum.
The Cleveland Way National Trail passes through the village.
Culture and events
From 1982 to 2019, Skinningrove hosted a bonfire and fireworks display, which attracted hundreds of people from around North Yorkshire. Each year, the bonfire was based on a different theme. The bonfire was discontinued from 2023, due to safety concerns and local infrastructure being unable to cope with the large crowds.
Photographer Chris Killip created an unpublished photo series about the town's residents in the early 1980s, about which the American filmmaker Michael Almereyda produced a short film. The film won Best Non-Fiction Short at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.[8]
↑ "Lingdale in North Yorkshire". This is the North East. Northumbia University. Archived from the original on 3 December 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
↑ Jenkins, Russell (21 February 2003). "Woman angler lands legendary sea monster". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 7 May 2009. Retrieved 25 February 2010. The novice angler fishing off the rocks for mackerel thought that she must have hooked a big one. Unfortunately the oarfish has been cut up into steaks for the pot.
↑ "Skinningrove at Digital Village". East Cleveland Community Development Group in partnership with the University of Teesside. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
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