Stone Row Cottage on the North Yorkshire Coast

01/11/2026

A few weeks ago, David Burrell shared this evocative photograph of the SS Skinningrove stranded at Redcar in February 1907.

I was immediately curious to learn more about this ship.

What was the connection between the ship and Skinningrove?
What was she carrying? Where had she come from? And what became of her?

The story began with Skinningrove Iron Company and the jetty built during the 1880s to transport iron produced at the works. The first shipment of iron left the jetty in 1888.

As the company's trade developed, so did its connection with the sea.

In 1891, the first SS Skinningrove was purchased to carry pig iron from Skinningrove Jetty to Grangemouth in Scotland.

But this wasn't the ship in David's photograph.

The first SS Skinningrove was sold in 1895. That same year, a second and larger SS Skinningrove was built for the company in Sunderland.

She was part of a small fleet of steam cargo ships carrying pig iron to customers around Britain and Europe. Other company ships included SS Cattersty, SS Hummersea and SS Northgate, their names reflecting the local landscape around Skinningrove.

On 6 February 1907, SS Skinningrove ran aground at Redcar. It was this moment that photographer A. Graham captured in the remarkable image shared by David.

But her story didn't end there.

She continued working for decades, passing through different owners and several changes of name. In 1936 she became Stangrove.

During the Spanish Civil War, Stangrove was used to evacuate people from northern Spain. In October 1937, while carrying hundreds of refugees, many of them women and children, she was intercepted at sea. The Royal Navy cruiser HMS Southampton intervened, secured her release and escorted her towards safety in France.

The former SS Skinningrove survived even this turbulent period. After being badly damaged in 1939, she was later salvaged and rebuilt and continued sailing under different names.

Remarkably, the ship built for Skinningrove Iron Company in 1895 survived until 1971.

Not bad for a story that began with one photograph!

⚓ The photographs

1. SS Skinningrove stranded at Redcar on 6 February 1907. Photograph by A. Graham, shared with kind permission of David Burrell.

2. Skinningrove Jetty, showing one of the steamships alongside the jetty and the railway that connected it with the ironworks.

3. SS Cattersty, another of the Skinningrove Iron Company's locally named steamships.

4. A colourised image of SS Hummersea alongside the jetty.

Many thanks to David Burrell for sharing the photograph that prompted me to look more closely at this fascinating part of Skinningrove's history.

The historic Skinningrove Jetty, SS Cattersty and SS Hummersea images are from the East Cleveland Image Archive, a wonderful collection preserving photographs and memories of the area's past.

Did anyone in your family work aboard one of these ships or have connections with Skinningrove's maritime history?

We'd love to hear any stories, names or photographs that have been passed down.

31/10/2026

Happy Halloween from Skinningrove 🎃🧛‍♂️

Wishing everyone a fang-tastic spooky evening 👻🌊

31/10/2026

Another beautiful day in Skinningrove 🧡

26/10/2026

25/10/2026

Does anyone remember the Skinningrove Bonfires? 🔥

For more than 30 years, Bonfire Night in Skinningrove was rather special.

Beginning in 1982, the local community created enormous themed wooden sculptures down by the sea. Over the years there were Vikings, dragons, pirates, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, a giant pigeon, fishing boats and many more, each culminating in a spectacular bonfire.

These were extraordinary pieces of community art, involving months of planning, fundraising and work by volunteers.

As their reputation grew, so did the crowds. Thousands of people would make their way to Skinningrove to see them.

Sadly, the final Skinningrove Bonfire took place in 2019. After trying to find ways to overcome the difficulties involved in staging such a large event, the organising committee eventually announced that there would be no more.

Were you ever there for one?

We'd love to hear which bonfire you remember and any memories or photographs you have of those nights in Skinningrove. 🔥

22/10/2026

We love Skinningrove in autumn. 🍂

The beach is often almost deserted, and the light at this time of year can be beautiful.

The colours in the sky, the clouds reflected on the wet sand and hardly another person in sight.

It's lovely to wrap up warm and have the beach almost to yourself.

No crowds, no rush, just a quiet walk by the sea.

One our favourite autumn views of Skinningrove. ❤️

20/10/2026

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18/10/2026

🎬 Netflix are coming back to Saltburn!

We went over to watch some of the filming last month and really enjoyed seeing it all happening. It was fascinating seeing the Pier and shops dressed for the production and transformed into something quite different from the Saltburn we know.
So we were interested to hear that the production team are coming back!

The main filming takes place on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October, around Saltburn Pier, the Lower Promenade, beach and Milton Street. Thursday is the big day, with cameras rolling around the Pier and promenade from midday into the evening.

If you’re visiting Saltburn next week, you might get the unusual chance to see some of it happening for yourself. 🎥👀

There will be temporary closures and parking restrictions, particularly around the Pier and Lower Promenade on Thursday, so it’s worth bearing in mind if you’re planning a visit.

The production is currently using the working title Zoltar and, from what we were told last time, is a new Netflix series based on some of Roald Dahl’s darker stories.

We’ll definitely be looking out for familiar bits of Saltburn when it eventually appears on screen!

18/10/2026

When Skinningrove had almost everything…

We love learning about the history of Skinningrove and the surrounding area, listening to our neighbours' stories, visiting local places of interest, spending time at Land of Iron events and exploring the memories and photographs people share on social media.

We particularly love this old photograph. If you've visited Stone Row Cottage, you might recognise the view. It appears to have been taken from just outside the cottage, which would be just out of shot at the bottom left.

Looking up the street, Timm's Coffee House is the large pale building on the left, while Skinningrove's Co-op stands prominently in the centre. Timm's is still there today. The Grade II listed building dates back to 1704, although it's now known as Moonfleet.

Recently we asked for a little help finding out more about the shops that once served Skinningrove, and the response was fascinating.
People remembered Roberts, Sheila's, Nixon's, Darts, Ivy's, Baggy Ward's, Pauline Saunby's, Meg Saunby's, the Post Office and the Co-op with its different departments. One local recollection, passed down through a family, is that there were 12 shops in the village in the late 1940s, many operating from people's homes.

But Skinningrove wasn't just well served by shops. At different points in its history, this relatively small community had its own railway station, hospital, schools, bank, Miners' Institute, Post Office and other amenities.

It's the smaller details people remember that really bring this history to life. We've heard how Nixon's, a double-fronted general dealers on Hutton Street, would open at 5am so that people heading onto the front shift could pick up their newspapers. Someone else remembers meeting Father Christmas in the grotto upstairs at Roberts.
And there's another lovely connection to Stone Row itself. Sheila's Post Office and general dealers on Stone Row served the village for around 50 years.

We've been incredibly grateful to Heather and everyone else who has shared family stories, photographs and memories with us. It's these personal recollections that really bring Skinningrove's history to life.

Much has changed, but traces of the old village can still be found if you know where to look — and, thankfully, so many of its stories are still being shared.

What do you remember?

Which Skinningrove shops, businesses and community places have we missed? 📷

We'd love to hear your memories. 💙