Fresh Air and Exercise
Cleveland’s ironstone miners worked long hours underground. Spending time outside between shifts was essential.
Growing their own
Many miners grew fruit and vegetables on their allotments. They also planted flowers, particularly chrysanthemums, and competed with them at local shows.
There were also pigeon lofts on the allotments. Pigeon fancying (keeping and breeding birds) was a popular pastime. Local homing societies continue to do well with their racing pigeons.
On the ball
Local villages had football teams who regularly played each other. Competition was fierce in the Cleveland and District League.
Football teams from Skinningrove Iron and Steel Works and Loftus Mine competed for the Bury Cup. Over 2,000 people watched the first cup final in 1912. It was won by the Fitters, a team of maintenance men from the ironworks.
What is in this case?
1 Bury Cup silver trophy
This football competition was named after Mr Ernest Bury, director of the Skinningrove Iron & Steel Works. He donated the trophy in 1912.
2 Bury Cup poster
The cup competition was played between teams from the local mines and ironworks. There were qualified referees at the matches.
3 Bury Cup programme, 1955
Programmes were sold during Bury Cup matches to raise money for the St John Ambulance Brigade. Members of the brigade attended matches in case of any injuries.
4 Turning ironstone to silver
Written by Colin Hart, 2018 Creating workforce football teams was very popular. Hundreds of women’s football teams were set up when women began working in factories during World War I. North of England teams could compete in the Munition Girls Challenge Cup.
5-6 Bury Cup programmes, 1912, 1951
The Bury Cup celebrated its centenary season in 2012/2013. It was played between teams from the Skinningrove Iron & Steel Works and the Caterpillar bulldozer track factory.
7 Skinningrove Steel Works Fitters football team
1912/13 Bury Cup winners
8 The Coke Ovens football team
The Coke Ovens, a team from Skinningrove ironworks, won the Bury Cup in 1920. Mr Bury, who donated the trophy, is second from the right in the back row.
9 East Cleveland Federation certificate
The Federation was formed in 1926. It still actively supports the sport of pigeon racing in this region today.
10 Pigeon timer clock
These were first used in 1885 to create a fair system for timing pigeon races. Each bird’s identification ring was recorded before the race, then removed and slotted into the clock at the end.
11 Pigeon identification rings
Pigeon owners use rings like these to identify their birds. In the past, the birds’ wings were marked to differentiate them.
12-13 Pigeon racing certificates
Pigeons usually race back to their home lofts from an agreed starting point. As the lofts can be many miles apart, the judges have to compare finishing times and how far each bird has actually flown.