Tony Oldham asks if anything has been published since 1921 on lead mining
at Tyndrum.
The only references to Tyndrum in Mining Journal/Mining Magazine/Mining
Annual Review in recent years (i.e. since 1981, the period for which the text
of all these is available on CD) have been to the gold prospect there. For
example in Mining Journal December 16, 1988, page 478, there is the
passing comment that lead had been mined there since the 1740s.
In the article in Mining Magazine, November 1989, p 353 et seq, there is the
comment:
" Lead mining at Tyndrum began in the mid-eighteenth century and continued
intermittently until 1858 by which time several thousand tonnes of lead ore had
been recovered at grades believed to be of the order of 5-10% Pb. The veins
had been mined through a vertical interval of 230 m and the last attempt to
re-open the mines was in the early 1920s.
"Ennex's Cononish gold property is located about 3 km southeast of the village of
Tyndrum at the site of the East Anie lead mine which exploited a southwesterly
striking vein structure accessed by two adits driven into a cliff-face. In 1984 rock
sampling near the adit portals and subsequent trenching over the adjacent hill-top
showed the presence of gold and spurred Ennex to launch a 10-hole drilling
programme at the end of 1985 southwest along the strike of the lead vein structure.
Gold was encountered in all holes down to a depth of 50 m but, with the exception
of two holes, values were disappointing."
When the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy held a conference in London in 1958
on the "Future of Non-Ferrous Mining in Great Britain and Ireland" there were three
papers on Scotland, the two relating to lead being on "The Leadhills Wanlockhead
district" and "Lead on Islay", the other paper being on barytes. No mention was made
of Tyndrum at that conference.
Tony Brewis
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