MERVYN Dodd’s Story of Iron Ore Mining in West Cumbria is a welcome addition to the local history bookshelf, being the first book out on the subject for about 15 years.

It tells us how in the late 19th century Cumberland was Britain’s major source of high quality iron ore, central to the booming industrial economy of Victorian England.

Little evidence of such a thriving industry remains, Florence Mine excepted, but its story recreated in this useful description of the mines and mining communities of this area.

The author Mervyn Dodd is a member and former president of Cumberland Geological Society and will be best known for his time at Whitehaven Grammar and Whitehaven School where he taught geography until his retirement in 1989.

The areas of Lamplugh, Kirkland, Frizington, Cleator Moor and Egremont, where the red men were kings, are all covered and a further chapter tells the story of the rise and fall of the industry.

The epilogue, entitled Red Men and Their Memories, has been contributed by Maureen Fisher and gives a fascinating insight into the life of the iron ore miner, gleaned from oral histories. Like the ore itself it is a wonderfully rich seam of material provided by the reminiscences of so many miners living in and around Frizington.

During the 20th century cheap ore from the East Midlands and imported ore from Spain took an increasing share of the UK market and the coal strike of 1921, which closed the railways, triggered the closure of most of the mines north of Egremont. But it had only been a matter of time, as reserves were dwindling and costs were high. In the 1930s unemployment in the West Cumbrian iron mining area reached 60 per cent.

This is an excellent account of one of the area’s most important and historic industries and the author has included some excellent illustrations too, which will interest many.

The Story of Iron Ore Mining in West Cumbria can be obtained from Michael Moon, price £7.50.