Beneath this woodland lies a story. It is the story of the Old Ironstonel Pit. This pit is more than just a hole in the ground. It is a window into Glasgow’s industrial past. The Old Ironstonel Pit whispers tales of 19th-century mining.
The pit’s story appears on an 1864 Ordnance Survey map. It is marked as “Old Ironstone Pit”. Geological surveys noted a blackband ironstone seam. This seam lay 35 fathoms deep equivalent to 64 meters. Imagine miners descending into the earth to extract this valuable resource.
Whiterigg was once a hamlet near the Old Ironstonel Pit. Now demolished it faded. The Old Ironstonel Pit remains a hidden landmark covered by woodland.
Ironstone mining was crucial to Scotland’s industrial boom. Around 1760 the Carron Ironworks began using clayband ironstone. Later blackband ironstone was discovered in the early 1800s. These ironstones fueled Scotland’s iron production.
Blackband ironstone contained 50 to 70 percent metallic iron. It often had enough coal for calcination. Calcination is a process of heating ore to remove impurities. A good blackband ironstone had only 2 to 8 percent coal. If it had more than 20 percent coal it was mixed with clayband. Clayband used up the excess coal. Blackband melted easier than clayband. Furnaces produced 50 percent more iron using blackband.
Lanarkshire and Ayrshire held the most valuable ironstone deposits. Two-thirds of Scotland’s pig iron came from Lanarkshire. Coatbridge Airdrie and Wishaw boomed thanks to these minerals. Coatbridge was surrounded by blast furnaces.
In 1867 Scotland had 164 blast furnaces. Each furnace made about 9546 tons of iron. A furnace gave work to 200 men and boys. Around 13000 ironstone miners worked in Scotland. They extracted 2500000 tons of ore in 1857.
The work of an ironstone miner resembled that of a coal miner. Seams were thin often only six to eighteen inches. Miners removed rock to get to the ore. They built up stone and rubbish behind them. Small wagons called “hutches” carried the ironstone out.
The price of pig iron varied greatly. In 1866 speculators drove prices up. Financial crisis followed causing prices to crash. Ironmasters reduced production by blowing out forty furnaces.
The Old Ironstonel Pit near Whiterigg was at least 64 meters deep. It is now covered. This depth reflects the effort to extract blackband ironstone. It symbolizes Scotland’s industrial heritage.
Today nature reclaims the Old Ironstonel Pit. Woodland covers what was once a hive of activity. The site now offers a moment to reflect on the past. Imagine the miners their labor and Scotland’s industrial might. This Old Ironstonel Pit played its part.