Museum of Lead Mining

About Museum of Lead Mining

The Museum of Lead Mining represents the social and industrial history of this once important lead mining area. Lead has been found in this area since Roman times. The industry was at its most active between the 1700's and the 1950's. At first the miners spent the summer working the mines and lived in tents by the burn. Later, the land owner gave the miners plots of land for them to build their own homes. This meant they could work all year round. Wanlockhead is the highest village in Scotland, competing with Leadhills for this title. The isolated community developed strong support mechanisms with an early welfare state and education underpinning the families development. Women were employed with the Ayrshire lace making industry, known locally as 'floo'erin'. The name reflected the delicate lace flowers that were embroidered by candle light before being sent to merchants in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The mined lead ore was processed and smelted locally. The lead bars, or ingots, were transported to the port of Leith, outside Edinburgh. From there, the ingots were taken by sea to the Nederland's.

The Visitor Centre has a self guided museum which walks you through the local geology, as well as the mining and processing of the lead ore.The museum describes the community as well as the importance of education. Several notable poets and engineers lived and worked in Wanlockhead. The impact of the industrial revolution is described.

Your guide will take you on a short walk to Straitsteps Cottages. Here you can see how the miners lived with their families in the 1750s, 1850s and 1920. The cottages were small and the conditions simple. Mains water did not reach the village until the 1950's.

Outside the cottages is the Beam Engine. This is one of the only remaining waterbucket pumps in the UK. It was used to pump water from the depths of Straitsteps mine. Waterbucket pumping engines had their origin in an attempt to create a 'perpetual motion' machine and their simple nodding action earned them the name of ' bobbin' johns' in Scotland. The power to work the engine was provided by filling the wooden bucket with water from the local burn, which then pulled the beam down bringing up water from the mine. The bucket was then drained, allowing the beam to return to the top of it’s stroke where the bucket was refilled and so it went. This Beam Engine allowed miners to continue working in the Straitsteps mine which otherwise would have flooded.

Lochnell Mine was worked between 1710 and 1860. It is the only lead mine open to the public in Scotland. You can walk into the narrow level and see how the miners worked and followed the veins of lead.

The Miners' Library was formed in 1756. This was one of the earliest worker's subscription libraries in Europe. When the library was founded books were an expensive and relatively scarce commodity being printed mainly in London. The books covered many subjects including religion, overseas travel, politics, mineralogy and of course mining. It is said that the library was established to control the unruly behaviour of the miners!

Our tearoom and the gift shop support local suppliers and producers wherever it is possible.

Gold is found in the local streams. You can try your luck with our gold panning tanks. One of our guides will take you thrugh the process. If you want to go gold panning in the local streams, you are required to by a licence from the landowner. The museum can sell you a licence on behalf of Buccleuch Estates. Longer courses are also available. Local gold was used in the crowns for both King James Vth and Mary, Queen of Scots. More recently gold, panned from streams in the Wanlockhead area, was given by the British Gold Panning Association for incorporation in the mace of the Scottish Parliament. The mace was presented to the Scottish Parliament in 1999 by HM Queen Elizabeth 11. The gold was formed into a wedding band that represented 'the marriage of Parliament, the land and the people'.