ICL Boulby polyhalite mine is celebrating its 50th anniversary of operations this month by commissioning a lasting sculpture to be erected near its site in North Yorkshire.
Local blacksmith artist Katie Ventress, whose studio is at Hinderwell near Whitby, is creating a lasting sculpture that will sit alongside the Cleveland Way near the mine.
The galvanised steel sculpture will depict a miner carrying the type of equipment which would have been in used in the early days. He will be seated at a replica bait table made of laser-cut stainless steel.
The top of the table will be in the form of a map of the mine to help people visualise the site. The head of the bench has been forged to feature communication equipment in use at the time.
Ms Ventress has worked on the sculpture within Covid-19 restrictions.
“Ideally I would have liked to have used a miner as a model for the piece but social distancing put a stop to that.
“Instead I’ve had to use my partner, and he’s got a bit fed up of me staring at him from time to time or asking if I can measure his nose.”
Boulby Mine is the world’s first and the UK’s only potash mine and covers 200 hectares south-east of the village of Boulby, on the north-east coast of the North York Moors in Redcar and Cleveland.
The mine is operated by Cleveland Potash Ltd which is now a subsidiary of Israel Chemicals Ltd.