Pricing Change
New pricing for orders of material from this site will come into place shortly. Charges for supply of digital images, digitisation on demand, prints and licensing will be altered.
Bridge Of Allan, Copper Mine
Copper Mine (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Bridge Of Allan, Copper Mine
Classification Copper Mine (Period Unassigned)
Canmore ID 45997
Site Number NS79NE 2
NGR NS 79566 97868
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/45997
- Council Stirling
- Parish Logie (Stirling)
- Former Region Central
- Former District Stirling
- Former County Stirlingshire
NS79NE 2 79566 97868
(NS 7956 9785) Copper Mine (Disused)
OS 6" map (1948)
Old Copper-mine, Bridge of Allan. The entrance to this mine is situated in Mine Wood, about 100 yds N of the junction of Sunnylaw Road and Mine Road. An adit, about 15ft high by 4ft wide at the mouth, here enters the steep S slope of the Hill of Airthrey, while directly above it there
are traces of surface workings in the form of a deep, rock-cut channel which follows approximately the same line as the adit.
The underground workings have been investigated and described by the Geological Survey of Great Britain (G V Wilson 1921). It is reported locally that there was formerly a large pile of debris in front of the mine-entrance, but that this was used to level up part of the grounds of the Allan Water Hotel.
This mine, described as being at "Aithree", seems to have been in operation early in the 17th century (R Cochran-Patrick 1878) when it is said to have produced "50 of ane 100 of the ore; besides that, of silver to the value of an $100 ster., and to the value of $200 ster. it affords of gold". It is again on record in 1661 and from that time it and other mines in the district were worked intermittently until about 1815, when all work ceased. The latest operations were those of the Caledonian Mining Company, which re-opened the Airthrey mine about 1805.
The medicinal properties of the water coming from a spring in these rocks were discovered during the working of the mine, and led to the development of Bridge of Allan as a spa.
RCAHMS 1963, visited 1958.
As described above.
Visited by OS (WDJ) 8 January 1964.
This mine is named 'Copper Mine (Disused)' on the Ordnance Survey 1st edition 25-inch map (Stirlingshire, 1861-1864)and depicted as an outcrop with a path leading up to the mine mouth.
Information from RCAHMS (MMD), 7 August 2008.
Bridge of Allan Mine (Location cited at NS794 978)
This was originally a copper mine. Latterly used as a source for spa water, this mine is now completely abandoned. The level entrance was originally a garden manhole (now sealed) at the 'edge of Henderson Street'. The other entrance is accessible from the Allan Water Hotel ( ) by way of the old pumping shaft (for spa water). There is also another entrance on the banks of the Allan Water 'just upstream from the weir at Sunnylaw'. It is noted that there is another mine entrance on the opposite bank. The mixing baths and the remains of old pumping equipment are also noted by Grampian Speleological Group, presumably with reference to the access to the workings under the Allan Water Hotel.
Grampian Speleological Group, 2008.
The mine named as 'Airthrey Hill Mine' (location cited as NS796 978) by the Grampian Speleological Group may be part of this complex, rather than a separate mine. It is noted that an adit issues from 'below Mine House'. Mine house is located at NS79551 97746 (NS79NE 174).
Grampian Speleological Group, 2008.
Field Visit (13 May 2012 - 28 May 2012)
NM 819 002 (centred on) The overall aim of the research project is to identify prehistoric copper mining in Scotland. The survey began, 13–28 May 2012, by visiting sites where probable hammerstones have been found. Sites visited included Barhullion, Balcraig, Kirklauchline and Wanlockhead all in Dumfries and Galloway, an area where the discovery of a copper ore (bornite) outcrop in a recent quarry at Kirklauchline was of particular interest.
Several other copper mining districts in SW and central Scotland were also visited, including the Tullich Mine at Loch Tay (Perth and Kinross), different sites in the mining district of Wanlockhead/Leadhills (Dumfries and Galloway/South Lanarkshire), Mary’s Mine/Tonderghie (Dumfries and Galloway) and the Kilmartin Copper Mine (Argyll and Bute). Around Bridge of Allan in the Ochill Hills are several copper outcrops where the late medieval Airthrey Hill Mine spoil heaps (Stirling) are easily accessible and still contain a good quantity of copper ores. In Argyll and Bute the mining remains of Abhain Strathain/Meall Mor, at Kilfinan (Murder Lode) and Castleton/Castletown (SE of Lochgilphead) revealed good ‘grey copper ores’, especially at Castleton where the mineralised vein outcrops are easily seen on the shore. In addition the 2012 survey discovered another ore vein along Kilmartin Glen, at the Duntroon Hillfort. The mineralisation is very interesting because of its proximity to numerous archaeological sites.
Further investigation is planned in the area and on other old mining sites in Scotland for 2013. A collection of ore samples has been stored at the National Museums of Scotland, which will hopefully be enlarged in the future to provide a reliable database for investigations, such as the comparison of trace element and lead-isotope ratios in the samples with those found in prehistoric metal objects.
Archive: National Museums of Scotland
Funder: German Archaeological Institute, Department Rome
Daniel Steiniger, German Archaeological Institute, Department Rome
2012
