A Childhood Playground Lost: The Fight for Mill Hill Slag Bank
These photographs sit tucked away in a dusty box, each one a portal to a simpler time. Images of a sprawling, uneven landscape bathed in afternoon light transport me back to my childhood. This wasn't your typical park playground, with brightly coloured equipment and smooth surfaces. This was the Mill Hill Slag Bank – a rough and tumble expanse that held a unique charm for a local boy like myself. The Slag Bank, as it was affectionately known, was a product of Cleator Moor's industrial past. Created by waste materials from the Cleator Moor Iron Foundry, which closed its doors in 1920, the slag formed an undulating terrain dotted with wildflowers and patches of scrubland. Far from being an eyesore, it became a haven for local wildlife and, more importantly, a playground for generations of children. My own memories are filled with scrapes and bruises earned from tackling the slag's slopes on my bicycle, building makeshift forts, and losing myself in imaginative adventures. I