Saltburn has maintained much of its original charm as a Victorian seaside resort including its pier, the colourful Italian gardens and walks through Riftswood. Whatever you need to know about Saltburn by the Sea this is the place to start. Read the local news and add your own comments and views!
Royalty is featured in an exhibition being held at Saltburn's Emmanuel church. A copy of a report in the parish magazine in 1901 when Queen Victoria died is shown in the display, which continues until Monday May 2.
And a reference to St Hilda says she is descended from royal blood through a Northumberland family. A stone carving in the altar area is said to be of a young St Hilda.
Carving in Emmanuel Church said to be of St Hilda
One of the organisers Mrs Margaet Bennett said one of the exhibits was of a snail, which is said to be 120 million years old and found on Saltburn beach. It has been fitted into a prayer book.
Another prayer book features the Rev Ben Irvin, an early vicar of the church, whose name lives on through Irvin Avenue in the town, which is named after him. He lived in the Zetland Hotel for a while. A copy of a 1911 census named him as a bachelor aged 67, who was born in Northumberland. He was among five other boarders along with a dozen live-in members of staff, mostly Yorkshire born.
The display also features a roll of honour from World War 1 naming 370 Saltburn parish men who fought. Those who died are also identified.
The exhibition is one of the church's contributions to Saltburn's 150th birthday celebrations this year.
The exhibition, which is free of charge, is being held in the church, off Windsor Road, from Friday April 29 to Monday May 2 between 12 noon and 4pm. Other visits can be made by arrangement with the church office 01287-205322 (open mornings only) until mid-June. Michael Morrisey
Film maker Jan Cawood. The return of the cliff lift carriages,Stephen J Dowd
A short documentary by local film maker Jan Cawood will reveal the behind the scenes story of the Saltburn Cliff lift restoration.
Jan followed the carriages from being lifted off the tracks in November to the specialist Northumberland firm, Stanegate Restorations to document the whole process.
She said: “It’s been a labour of love for those who restored the lifts as well as my film crew who documented the events over a five month period. Travelling between Saltburn and Haltwhistle in all weathers was also a real
challenge given the snow we had.”
Jan hopes to make the new documentary about the restoration available to view shortly after the re-opening. She said: “I love seaside architecture and felt it was a great opportunity to capture this period of the carriages’ history on film for others to share. It’s also a portrait of the craftsmanship that Stanegate Restorations employed and a tribute to everyone who loves the lift.”
Jan’s first film about the cliff lift called ‘55Seconds’ will be screened at this year’s Saltburn Short Film Festival on Thursday, 12th May at 7pm. More details about her new film will be shared when available.
Emmanuel Church, Saltburn, has uncovered evidence of stained glass windows and rood carvings designed by Arts & Crafts member Sir Charles Nicholson. A signed drawing of the church interior and a handwritten letter from the firm of Rush, Nicholson and Rush are highlights of a new exhibition ‘No Stone Unturned’ which has been put together by members of Emmanuel Church.
Precious artefacts, original architectural drawings, 100 year old Parish Magazines, personal stories and treasured photographs will all be displayed in the purpose built ArtSpace inside the church. Visitors are welcome to view the exhibition and enjoy discovering the developments and decorations of the building as featured in our simple guide (available at the door). For those who enjoy a touch of detective work, there is also a treasure trail to follow.
Later in the year and as a follow up to this historical exhibition, artwork by members of the church family will be displayed alongside some of the artefacts. This second part of the exhibition is entitled ‘Living Stones’ and will include inspiring work in glass, ceramic, acrylics, felt, found objects and other media. ‘No Stone Unturned’ is showing at Emmanuel Church Saltburn from Friday April 29 to Monday May 2, 12 noon to 5pm. ‘Living Stones’ is showing from Saturday 9 July to Sunday 10 July, 12noon to 5pm. The church will be open on most Saturdays through the summer and by arrangement at other times. For further details please ring the church office 01287 205322.
Sixteen photographers visited Saltburn earlier this month to photograph scenes with a Victorian slant. The photographers, who are participating in the Festival of Victorian Photography, came to Saltburn to shoot images using traditional Victorian techniques.
Their works will be exhibited in The Festival of Victorian Photography and will be on display at the Artsbank Gallery, Milton Street, Saltburn, from 2nd – 29th July 2011.
On 2nd July John Brewer will give a public demonstration at the Toc H building, off Albion Terrace, of the wet collodion process, which was used during the two-day April visit.
The visit, exhibition and demonstration are part of events being held to mark Saltburn’s 150th anniversary.
This years annual film festival, being screened as part of Saltburn's 150th anniversary celebrations, will feature movies shot on location in and around the town.
Saltburn sprang up as a holiday resort for wealthy industrialists following the arrival of the first steam train from Darlington on August 17, 1861. To mark its birth a series of events are being held to promote the history of the town.
The annual film competition 'Saltburn Shorts' is taking place on May 12, followed by End Of The Pier, a film originally shown on Channel 4 in 1986 and The End Of An Era commissioned by Dorman Long which shows the last shift of North Skelton Ironstone Mine in 1964.
The 1980 drama series The Gate Of Eden which is set in 1950's Saltburn will be shown on May 13 when three original cast members will talk about the production. The lead actor Richard Gibson, who also starred as Herr Flick in the BBC One sitcom 'Allo,'Allo will be answering questions at the end of the screening.
On May 14 the 1990 film God On The Rocks starring Bill Paterson, Sinead Cusack and Minnie Driver will be shown depicting life in 1930s Saltburn.
Callum Duff is a major contributor to this years annual film festival which is delving into the archives to screen rarely seen local films at Saltburn Community Theatre.
"The town is unique and the film festival is too", said Mr Duff. "I thought it was very important to do something that reconnected with the past so the films show the town at different stages during its life." Mr Duff is also involved in an archive film project showing the history of the town, a talk by author Freya North whose book Secrets was set in Saltburn and even the production of some special Saltburn 150 seaside rock.
A commemorative plaque is also planned to show the site of Saltburn's first houses at Alpha Place, near the site of Sainsburys.
The growth of Saltburn was driven by the discovery of iron stone in the Cleveland Hills and it became a resort with a high social tone. It faded during the 1970's and 80s but Saltburn is now having a resurgence. It was built by entrepreneurs and now it is coming full circle.
"This is all about celebrating Saltburns uniqueness", Mr Duff added. "This is Saltburn's 5th Annual Film Festival organised by Saltburn Community Arts Association (SCAA). Far be it from me to take credit for other peoples work, I am merely a contributor to this years programme and wish the association continued success with this venture."
For more information and ticket details visit Facebook page Saltburn OneFifty or call 01287-624997.
The UK Professional Surf Tour is coming back to Saltburn beach.
Last year's event saw more than 5000 local enthusiasts pack the beach to watch the best UK professional surfers in action as they try to win the UK Professional Surfing title.
More than 100 of the country's finest surfers will be in action over the competition weekend.
In addition, local surfers will compete against the professionals to showcase the local surfing talent.
This event will highlight the beach location at Saltburn and the surrounding area as one of the best surfing locations in the UK.
This is a free to attend event for all the public to enjoy.
The action starts at 10am on Saturday, May 15 and runs through until 4pm on Sunday.
The event is supported by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.
Police are hunting a man who attempted to sexually assault a teenage girl in Saltburn on Saturday night.
A spokesman for Cleveland Police said that the 16-year-old victim was walking home when the incident occurred in the rear alley between Emerald Street and Ruby Street at around 10pm. She was then approached by a man who attempted to sexually assault her. He then made off towards Saltburn seafront.
The attacker is described as white, of “chunky” build, 6ft 2ins, with short shaven brown hair and wearing a black top, jeans and black trainers/shoes.
He then made off towards Saltburn seafront.
Anyone with information is asked to contact DC Dan Cook at Redcar and Cleveland Police on 01642 302626.
Dozens of competitors from Saltburn care homes, along with their carers, family and friends took part in an Easter bonnet competition in the town on Easter Saturday.
Altogether some 200 friends and supporters gathered at the cliff lift at 2pm. The procession, including a number of competitors in wheelchairs, walked the 200 yards along the upper promenade to the picnic area where they gathered for an ice-cream and the judging.
Local police officers judged the best entries from each care home, with all participants receiving an Easter egg.
Following the judging the procession then walked to the station portico area for a sing-song with the town's "singing policeman" PC Jon Hutchinson, Saltburn's community bobby.
The Home organisers declared the event - the first Easter Bonnet parade in the town for many years - to be a great success enjoyed by all.
The event is the care homes' contribution to the town's 150th anniversary celebrations to mark Saltburn's 150th anniversary.
The care homes taking part were Cloneen, Four Seasons, Greta Cottage, Hazelgrove, Laurieston, Pembroke and Seaview.
Photo: Mons Ricardo Morgan speaking at an outdoor service. Different church groups gathered together, each walking from their churches to Saltburn's station square for the service.
Some 80 people joined in a hymns-and-readings service held outside the local supermarket at Saltburn-by-Sea, North Yorkshire, today (Friday) when Monsignor Ricardo Morgan, of Our Lady of Lourdes parish church, gave a message of love. He urged people to spread Christ's message in their everyday lives, not only in their church groupings.
The service, which is held annually on Good Friday, was organised by the town's Churches Together group. Several nearby towns held similar services and processions.
Childen and parents have started to make mosaic panels showing aspects of Saltburn, which will be placed on the walkway wall alongside Sainsbury's as part of Saltburn's 150th anniversary celebrations. The first - showing a seagull - was started by children during a two-day exercise on the lower promenade during the Easter school holidays (Apr 13-14).
"We love working on this project, which will be a permanent legacy of the 150 year. It should be fantastic when finished," said Mrs Christine Fowler, of Saltburn.
Children Caitlin, nine, and Chloe, six, with friend Maisie Anderson Smith, nine, spent half an hour helping artists Helen Jane Gaunt and Derek Mosey, to prepare the first of five mosaic panels.
In an allied project in the upstairs community room opposite the pier, more than 200 children, aged four to 16, enjoyed painting in water colours and graffiti with Club Creative, an interface between artists and schools. Neil Walker, who was tutoring them, said: "It has been fun for both children and parents. It's a nice link with Saltburn. We'll do it again if Redcar and Cleveland Council find funding."
The mosaics will be a permanent feature of the celebrations. But organisers are seeking more help with plans. More input would be welcome at the next monthly meeting at the community hall on Wednesday 4th May at 7pm.
This help is particularly needed because a bid for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund has been turned down. The newly-revived Saltburn Business Association is putting `150' on its agenda at monthly meetings.
Local films will feature in the annual film festival to be held in the community theatre from Wednesday-Saturday May 11th-14th with the Silverwood Brass Band kicking off with an evening of music from the movies.
Mayor Ray Goddard will officially open the festival on Thursday with Saltburn Shorts plus the End of the Pier C4 documentary being screened.
Other films to be shown during the festival are the End of an Era about the North Skelton mine closing, The Gate of Eden, a dramatic film set in Saltburn with some of the original cast due to attend, and God on the Rocks, another film set in the town.
May starts with an illustrated lecture about the history of Saltburn staged by Teesside University lecturer Geoff Watkins on Tuesday 3rd May. This was due to have been given on 12th April but was postponed.
Mr Watkins, who lives in Saltburn, promises "a fascinating picture of a previous age" and his talk starts a series of heritage lectures to be held monthly in the theatre.
Events coming up in June include a Songs of Praise evening at the Methodist church featuring members of several local choirs among the crowd, an open day at the fire station, and a flower festival at Emmanuel church.
Midsummer activities include a vintage car rally on the lower promenade, a sailing trip from Whitby to Saltburn, rail tours between Saltburn and Boulby, and an extended Victorian Week including a town photo.
Other plans include:
*A new real ale brew for Saltburn is being prepared for a special beer festival.
*A massed brass band event will take place on the site of the old bandstand in the valley gardens, which was bombed during WW2. Work is progressing to make a permanent amphitheatre as another legacy of the 150 celebrations.
*Saltburn primary school is preparing a history of education in Saltburn. A lady travelled from the West Country to the last 150 meeting to bring education memorabilia.
This is being stored at Saltburn Community and Arts Association office, off Albion Terrace (Tel. 624997).
Saltburn Victorian Footballers and Friends has presented the 150 Group with £600 raised from a race night held at Saltburn cricket club in March. This is mainly being spent on producing a brochure about the year, including a list of activities.
Details of events can be found on Saltburn150 and on other websites including Facebook and Twitter. Mike Morrisey
Boson Books of Raleigh, North Carolina USA have released the next two titles of their exclusive six ebook contract with the Saltburn by the Sea author Chris Scott Wilson to be distributed worldwide. Both are westerns. In The Copper City, fans of Quantro can follow the next step of his story where he learns what ‘Fire in the hole’ really means. A tale of a completely different kind is Desperadoes. Bad guys are bad guys. Right? Wrong. There’s no such thing as all black. No such thing as all white. And no such thing as all good or all bad. The truth is many shades of grey. Sometimes the good guys can be the bad guys. And the bad guys? Sometimes they can be, well, nearly good. When bounty hunter Preacher Creech oversteps the line, the desperadoes he’s hunting stop in their tracks and instead become the hunters.
A spokesman for Boson Publishers says, "We feel the Western genre is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance due to the success of the movie True Grit, justifying our decision to reissue six of Chris’ westerns in the new ebook formats. Westerns are not just popular in America, but also worldwide for their gritty realism."
Chris Scott Wilson, who lives in Saltburn, explains, "As a writer, I want every reader to smell that thin sheen of oil on their fingers after cleaning a Colt or sniff the gunsmoke after they’ve squeezed the trigger. I want them to hear the empty brass cartridges as they scatter or the jangle of spurs and clomping of boots on the boardwalk, the rattle of bit between a horse’s teeth. I want them to slide a foot in the stirrup and grunt as they heave themselves up into the saddle, and to experience the motion of that live animal beneath them as the sun beats in their faces and the wind claws their hair. I want them to relish every moment as they come along with me on that exhilarating ride into an adventure." Chris pauses. "What I really want is a new generation of readers to discover the excitement of the Old West, and they’ll then share the secret the rest of us already know."
The Copper City and Desperadoes by Chris Scott Wilson are available now from Amazon, W.H. Smith and other leading online retailers. To read sample chapters, please visit Boson Books website : http://www.cmonline.com/boson/ then choose Fiction, Westerns. Or visit Chris’ own website: http://www.chrisscottwilson.co.uk
Saltburn's two landmark water-powered cliff lift carriages were lifted back into place yesterday after a £30,000 refit.
The Victorian funicular opened in June 1884 to transport people from the town's pier up the steep incline to the top of the cliff.
Over the winter, the carriages were removed for their first off-site overhaul since 1992, with an intercom system being added.
The lifts will be open everyday from 11am until 5pm
Admission charges are:
Adults £1
Over 60's 50p
Children 3-16 50p
Children under 3 are free
Saltburn Cliff Lift is based at the Lower Promenade, Saltburn, TS12 2QX
Tel: (01287) 622528
As part of this years celebrations of the 150th Anniversary of the first steam train arriving in Saltburn, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council in partnership with the Friends of Saltburn Pier have commissioned Liverpool-born photographer, Lawrence Giles, to return to the Pier with his outside photography exhibition "Time and Tide". The exhibition first arrived on the pier to the acclaim of visitors and townspeople alike in 2005.
The exhibition, which finishes on 24th April, features panoramas of the surviving 54 piers of England and Wales and offers a stunning, open air view celebrating the traditional British seaside as typified by our piers.
This is an open air exhibition with the images being attached to the railings of the pier.
Artist Lawrence George Giles spoke about his work when it was first exhibited, saying: "Predominantly my work is about memory and that’s very true about this work which is called ‘Time and Tide’, basically in it’s simplest form the work is a series of 54 large scale photographic panoramas of all the remaining sea side pleasure piers around the coasts of England and Wales, I suppose more importantly for me however is that I believe these sites act as sites of early formative memory, so we’re taken to these sites generally as a child, by our parents or grandparents and we tend to revisit these sites over an extended period of time, possibly returning with our children or our children’s children."
So if you missed it the first time around try to make sure that you take the opportunity to head down to the pier and take a look at this stunning exhibition.
