Re: Christmas photos

a l l y wrote:

>
> <Johnny@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:43b41374$0$2957$9a6e19ea@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> I'll have some more pix for you all tomorrow. Carlisle's
>>> rather excellent Christmas decorations, both in daylight
>>> and after dark, and bits of Hadrian's Wall in the snow!
>>>
>>> ally
>>
>> Thanks for the first set from Christmas Day. On the one "Smoke
>> rising in the distance" what is that mound on the right? Looks
>> man-made.
>>
> It's what I, as a Scot, would call a bing, but most people round here
> would call a slag heap. It's part of the remains of Birkby Brickworks,
> which in its heyday produced very fine bricks which are to found in many
> of the buildings and walls hereabouts. The interesting thing about Birkby
> Brickworks was that it was only approachable by railway: there was no road
> leading to it at all. It lay on the banks of the Ellen, the river that
> flows into the sea at Maryport. I'm not sure how much is left. I'm
> fascinated by industrial archeology, but I've been warned that the ground
> around there is full of holes and pits which are almost completely
> obscured by trees and undergrowth these days, so it's very dangerous. I
> believe the odd dog has been lost down these holes. All you can see from
> up above is dense forest with the bing (oh, all right, slag heap) sticking
> up in the middle of it all.
>
> ally

Haven't seen the picture but if that's the conical heap by the railway that
you can see from Dearham Bridge Road then I'd call it a tip - a colliery
waste tip. Similar to the one that collapsed at Aberfan. Years ago there
were lots of these in West Cumberland but it seems most have been removed
now. It's made up of rock and other waste separated from the coal. I
haven't heard them being called bings before.
(Some collierys produced both coal and clay and were able to make bricks.
The one at Camerton was another of these.)

A slag bank/heap/tip is a different thing. It is formed from tipping the
slag which results from iron smelting. There was a big one at Workington
running from the works towards the harbour and I well remember seeing the
little engine and wagon climbing the bank and tipping the red hot liquid
slag which would run down the bank.

Edgar
.