Raasay, Opencast Mine

NG 55632 35858 – NG 56713 36957 A walkover survey was undertaken, 18 May 2017, along the proposed route of a small hydro-electric scheme at Inverarnish Burn and Mine Burn, near Inverarnish. The proposed pipeline route passes through the scheduled area of the Inverarnish Ironstone Mine (SM 6594).

The ironstone mine at Inverarish was opened in the early 1910s, prior to the beginning of WW1. Several kilometres of narrow-gauge railway, a crusher, five calcining kilns, a huge ore hopper, and a reinforced concrete pier were constructed. The main working (Mine No 1) was a drift mine with 8km of tunnels running through the hill and connected to Suisnish Pier by railway. Remains of the mining works, including surface buildings, opencast mine workings, engine houses and the dismantled railway can be seen at various points along the survey route. During WW1, despite apparent contravention to The Hague Convention, many German POWs were used as labourers at the mine alongside local men.

Fourteen sites were identified during the survey, eight of which were directly associated with the ironstone mine. The other sites consisted of two boulder-built shielings (Highland HER: MHG49056 and MHG49057), dykes and enclosures at Glen Lodge, and a turf and stone structure and dyke near Mine No 1 buildings on the Mine Burn.

Extensive remains of the Inverarish Ironstone mine were recorded in the pipeline area, including the tracks of the dismantled railway line, the tall concrete footings of a railway viaduct and the remains of the No 1 Mine. At No 1 Mine ruinous surface buildings survive, built from brick and concrete and now mostly unroofed. The NE structure is the remains of the main hauler house and the group of buildings to the SW are the large compressor house and two small huts, which were part of a weigh bridge and counting houses. To the W of these buildings are the remains of spoil heaps, now grass covered. The disused track leads from the weigh bridge NE towards the No 1 Mine entrance. It provided rail access to the network of c8km of underground tunnels. This track had been cut through natural rock, c2m deep, to form a level surface for railway lines going from the surface buildings to the mine entrance. Today, the track is grass covered and has a narrow ditch down the side. Where the track crosses the stream the remains of concrete bridge footings were observed,

consisting of two concrete blocks. This is the location where tracks would have run over the burn from the mine entrance SW through a rock-cut hollow-way to the mine buildings. Further upstream, to the E, a weir formed by a concrete wall had been constructed across the stream.

A second track leads E from the mine buildings. This track formed the remains of the inclined railway that led to the outcrop site c500m to the E. The inclined railway survives now as a raised bank, partially edged with stone. The concrete footings of the bridge, where it crossed above the other railway tracks, can still be seen in the cut of the lower track. Around 350m to the NE of the No 1 Mine buildings, another group of ruinous surface buildings can be seen, built over an upper entrance to the mine shaft and tunnels. These buildings are the remains of a fanner/blowing engine house for the No 1 Mine and are well outside the development area. Mitigation recommendations were made to minimise impact on the scheduled area.

Archive: NRHE

Funder: Glen Hydro

Mary Peteranna and Lindsey Stirling – AOC Archaeology Group