During the course of over a hundred years of history, many thousands of horses were employed underground in the Cleveland Ironstone Mines, pulling tubs loaded with ironstone.
To commemerate their vital contribution to the industry that shaped the development of Cleveland & Teesside, in 2010 the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum commisioned artists Derek Mosey & Helen Gaunt to design, create & install a number of pieces of mosaic artwork.
Working throughout the winter with volunteers from the Museum, pupils from Whitecliffe Primary School and local residents, Helen & Derek have succeeded in creating a series of eyecatching images, the most iconic of which, that of a life size ironstone miner and his Shire Horse now greets all visitors as they enter the Museum.
Funding for the project was gratefully received from the Agnes Spencer Charitable Trust, Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council’s East Cleveland Area Committee, Skinningrove Flood Relief Committee and the North East Museums Renaissance Fund.
The unveiling of the completed artworks took place on Wednesday June 22nd in the presence of her worshipful the Mayor of Redcar & Cleveland Councillor Olwyn Peters
