History Uncovered

With how widespread the use of lead has been in our world of past and present, it would make a lot of sense to wonder just where it came from and the stories behind its prominence.

You haven’t wondered? Then you’ll be in for a neat surprise when you learn the fascinating history of lead mining and its historic significance when you visit the Museum of Lead Mining in Scotland’s highest village of Wanlockhead.

In the heart of one of Scotland’s former lead-mining hubs, the mine today remains in the form of a museum and can be visited by the general public in a much safer environment!

Down in the Mine

While lead mining doesn’t take place here anymore, it remains open as Scotland’s only place for public tours of an underground mine and the only ‘real’ lead mine in the country.

Make the descent into the deep dark abyss for a 45-minute tour on the mine itself, where you can get a closer look and feel on what exactly it was that the miners had to endure on those gruelling trips into the earth.

Nevertheless, it gives a fascinating and atmospheric insight into the hard and brutal work that had once taken place there.  

Pieces of the Past

Once you’re back in the surface world, there are still sites that you can visit to get further insight into the lives of miners outside of the pits themselves.

Some of the other sites around the mine are the main museum itself, which contains a large variety of displays including artefacts and minerals recovered from the mines.

You can also find the Staitstepps Cottages, a renovation of old miner cottages that give a clear look into the personal lives of the miners outside of work. There is also a Miner Library located nearby, which can be visited on the tour.

You can even go panning for gold from the nearby streams!

Make your discoveries 

Dig up the past today at the Museum of Lead Mining in the heights of Dumfries & Galloway for a historic day out that you won’t be forgetting in a hurry.