Around the Mennock Hills can be seen the tracks of lades and pipes following the contours - they have to start somewhere. The lades seem to have collected the drainage off the hillsides, but the pipes need a source and this looks like one. The pipes can be followed around the side of the hill, until the hillside gives way and they are exposed

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Were the pipes for the same reasons as the Mennock Hass Water Tunnel?
Was the Mennock Engine House to the south of the village part of the water management system? I kept meaning to have a look there to see if anything remains of it

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There are a couple of pipes, one went through the tunnel and the other around the hillside, then both down the hillside, meeting at the bottom, and into the Hass Tunnel. There are two pipes on the far side of this picture which went to the Hass Tunnel. I am in awe of the effort involved.
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The water Cross-Cut Tunnel
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The water Cross-Cut Tunnel entrance
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The water Cross-Cut Tunnel going out
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Water came through the Cross Cut Tunnel then was taken through pipes to the Hass Tunnel. The line of these pipes is visible on the far hillside in this photo of the three dams - two obvious in Mossyburn and one in Little Arthur Grain, next to the pylon.

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The tunnel drops to meet the the other side, as though the tunnelers were slightly off-target. This is about 200 yards in.

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Is the cross-cut tunnel the one between the head of the Glenclach Burn and the Mennock Water? Was it driven in 1823?

You might be interested in the South west Scotland Mines Research Society Facebook Group.

Kind regards, Alastair

https://www.facebook.com/groups/308199959216758/?fref=ts 

In direct answer to your question, yes, but dug prior to 1756 as it is shown on a map of that date. Hope this helps. Jeremy

PS. It appears that the water cross cut was driven to feed the 'Hass water tunell' which was started in 1763, finnished in 1774 due to the discovery of the Margaret's vein ( also called Staitsteps vein). Jeremy

The Hass Engine, the foundation for which is visible above the wee arched bridge, brought water up from the Mennock Water to a suitable height to bring it back towards the village. There are two cisterns to be found above it, the higher of which supplied water from a pre-existing piped supply, via a small outlet, piped down to prime the engine, which pumped it up to the lower. (I think I've got that right Jeremy?)

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There are some curious features involving the water supply. There was a fairly large reservoir, dam now partly breached, presumably for safety, but it is well above the level of the water tunnel and so energy was being wasted. And, at different times, the lade system above Wanlockhead operated at 2, maybe 3 different levels. There is some indication of a possible tunnel or maybe a pipe on the west side of the Mennock Hass, and even the other side of the hill. I have never been able to comprehend it all, except to appreciate that the miners went to enormous trouble to get water. But I don't know why the lades continue to the area of the most recent mining operation, which used steam winding engines, and in the 1960s attempt an electric winch and submerged pumps. The known water - powered pumps were in the region of the Horse Level but the lades continue past that, and we'll beyond the Waggon Machine Shaft, which presumably had a water - powered winder.

The museum has a number of publications but there is much that we don't yet understand. It is unfortunate that the landowners are not very friendly at the moment, making it difficult to do more investigation.

It would be nice to see the lades, tunnels and dams restored to good order and some water - powered machinery in action. But it would be a rather big task.

tiger99. Correct, much yet to sort out. I have plotted all the main lade and pipe ways we can find and Russell and myself are in the proccess of looking at the 'cycterns' we can find, currently 49, which includes the village water supply. The results so far are on a 1:5000 map held by the museum at Wanlockhead. I started this work in 2009 and will probable finish this phase this year. Where we go from hear is yet to be decided. I have a copy on 'Memory map' as an overlay and can supply it to you if you wish. It's a bit rough and ready though. JeremyL

Thanks! Keep up the good work! It is a most complex area.