Hillhouse Whinstone Mine · AditNow Community

Mine exploration, photographs and mining history for mine explorers, industrial archaeologists, researchers and historians

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Spam
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

16 years ago

found the cave there, there are 3 I found. A small one, a huge one and another one of which I didn't have the resources to visit. All within a 100 m radius from the grid reference NS0015757, one of the tunnels drops suddenly just to let you know 🙂

Wanna join the discussion?! Login to your AditNow Community forum account or Register a new forum account

Heb
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

16 years ago

Thanks Spam.

I've amended the database from Whinstone to Limestone & updated the map ref.
I assume it's NT (not NS) 0015 7570? The grid ref in your last post was 7 digits !?

tiger99
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

16 years ago

I am glad it turned out to be limestone!

I think you probably mean NT015757 for the grid ref. But looking at the map, that is not quite where I thought it was, so there may be even more. But there are more limestone mines to the west and south, at least, so I would not be surprised if there are even more. From rather vague memory there is one under the road at about NT005748.

Something was quarried, in large quantities, to the east (NT036758) too, but I think that is now landfill. It may have been oil shale, as that was also mined just to the east, at Philipstoun.

This area seems to be worth further investigation. There is something in a geology book which I have somewhere, but I can't find it right now. I will post something here when I do find it.

Alan

rhychydwr
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

16 years ago

Was this the ref?

McAdam, A D, and Clarkson, E N K, 1986 Lothian Geology / an excursion guide. Edinburgh Geological Society. 208 The limestones of the Bathgate Hills have been extensively worked in the past for agricultural use both by quarrying and mining. 216 Hillhouse Quarry and Mine. Park at Beecraig Visitors’ Centre (006 746). The strata dip west at 30-40º and consequently the stoop and room workings north of the road, which are still open, slope very steeply underground. There have been roof collapses in recent years, some of which have caused subsidence in the overlying road.

Skinner, B C 1969 The Lime Industry in the Lothians. 64, 4 plates, 4 figs. University of Edinburgh. pages 55-56 Hillhouse NT 005 752 limestone mines with long drainage and haulage adits at lower level.

Cutting coal in my spare time.

Spam
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie Topic Starter

16 years ago

Hey, sorry about that guys.
Need to work on my converting of-the-longitude/latitude-into-grid-reference skills.
Any way the proper reference I should of gave is NT 006751 Iif anyone wants them I can give 10 figure references of each individual entrance (the miracles of GPS).

Spam

P.S. does anyone know of any other cool geological features in that general area?

tiger99
50.2% (Neutral)
Newbie

16 years ago

rhychydwr1,

Yes that is exactly what I was looking for. I do have that book somewhere.

This must have been a very large operation, but there are not too many limekilns visible in the area.

In a way it reminds me of Charlestown, on the north of the Forth, where the limestone also dips steeply, to the west. Sadly most of the mine entrances are buried in landfill now. But Charlestown has very substantial kilns.

Alan