Cleveland’s ‘Land of Iron’ due to reopen following “major” £1.6m redevelopment

North East based contractor Tolent has completed refurbishment works and constructed a new three-storey extension, worth a total £1.6m, for Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council on behalf of the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum, now known as The Land of Iron.

A celebration event and handover ceremony was recently held at the museum, which included Trustees of the museum, The Reverend Adam Gaunt MA (chair of museum trustees) and the Tolent staff who successfully managed the build.

The Land of Iron is a heritage building providing a “fascinating” insight into the lives of the mine workers and the social history of the area. However, the need to improve the building arose back in 2018 when the old brick vaulted roof of the upcast building collapsed due to adverse weather conditions, and the museum was forced to close.

The new extension provides “much-needed” space for expansion as well as providing a link to the old mine buildings, making the existing space to be more accessible and designed particularly for wheelchair users.

The redevelopment works were ongoing for approximately a year before Tolent officially handed over the completed buildings to the trustees of the museum during the ceremony.

The design and execution of the works demanded careful methods of construction in order to avoid damage to the existing mine, its substructures and neighbouring properties whilst retaining as many original features as possible to help show the historical elements of the site.

The project was primarily funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Coastal Community Fund and Tees Valley Combined Authority, and private donors including British Steel, which made a generous donation of steel sections used in the construction of the building’s frame.

Rick Halton, regional director for Tolent, remarked: “I am immensely proud that the Tolent site team have transformed this museum into a place where future generations are better able to learn about the history of this locally important mine and its people.”

“Tolent has been fantastic, working closely with the museum and producing a building of the highest standard” said Adam Gaunt, Chair of Trustees of the museum. We couldn’t have hoped for a better partner in this exciting development.“

The new building provides new exhibition space; educational areas, art displays, live performances and room hire, environmentally-controlled archive storage and a spacious office area for the staff. The Land of Iron is due to open in autumn 2022.

By Matthew Neville – Correspondent, Bdaily

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