Hi Rab,
Good to see some photos of Auchenlongford.
Certainly this was in part an opencast operation, as shown by the photo.
A plan in Edinburgh BGS, does show underground workings, which Robert and I could not find.
The importance of this mine is the fact, it is not an ironstone mine, but in fact a much better grade of iron ore, than that, it is a heamatite mine.
One of only 3 I know about in Scotland and as such the ore raised here is very similar to that from West Cumberland.
In this area, the iron masters, Drew most of their ore from ironstone mines, which is in fact the carbonate of iron and hence not as rich.
My guess is when they discovered the heamatite here they were very excited indeed. Unfortunately it seems to have been just an isolated pocket, not like West Cumberland.


Photograph:

🔗108331[linkphoto]108331[/linkphoto][/link]

Thanks for the information John.
I don't know much about the place, but I did hear or read somewhere that the mines on the west side of the burn were worked by a different company from the mines on the east side of the burn. Do you know if that's right enough?

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Sorry Rab cannot help you with the division of the mine site.
There might be something on the abandonment plan, when I next have a look at my archives will check and let you know.

Googled it, and it came up on the Canmore, with loads of information.
It comes under two different names:- Pennel Burn Iron Mine + Auchenlongford Haematite Mine.
And, it was indeed worked by different companies on either side of the burn.

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Goggle, can come up with lots of info!
Some of the local historians are keen to put out all they know!
However that then is useful to the rest of us!

More info:

Auchenlongford Haematite Mine NGR NS 602 299 Landranger Sorn, Ayrshire
About 3l/2 miles north-east of Sorn. W. Baird & Co. (Lugar and Muirkirk Ironworks) worked the west side of the Fennel Burn. Dalmellington & Collins Iron Companies worked the east side of the burn. The plan of Auchenlongford No. 1 pit (Home Office Plans of Abandoned Mines, No. 1436 deposited by W. Baird & Co.) shows workings on two veins, one running E-W and another N. W-S.E. In the E-W vein the pit was 280 feet deep with 4 levels about 50 feet apart. The Dalmellington Iron Company had a 200 foot shaft on the E-W vein.
Nowadays visible:- 1 shaft on west bank of burn. 1 level on east bank - goes for about 30 feet to a dead end, about 1 foot of water in it. Abandoned December 1882. A visit in 1999 revealed this mine to be closed.
Jeffreys, Alan 2008 Mines in Scotland 21-22
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/339504 
accessed 31.01.09
Landless 5, uses the spelling Auchinlongford Mine. NGR NS 604 298 . Shown on the 1st edition 1: 25 000 map. Another iron mine is shown on the Explorer map at NGR NS 617 239.
MM 209
Oldham, Tony 2005 The Mines of South Western Scotland 37
Smith, David L 1967 The Dalmellington Iron Company, Its Engines and Men: David & Charles.
Just a wee aside regarding the Woodhead Mines, this book notes that David Smith who was an important manager within the DIC (which ultimately became part of the large industrial combine Wm Baird & Company - Bairds and Dalmellington Ltd) was a shepherds boy at Garryhorn, Carsphairn, where he first studied the operations of mining at the Woodhead lead mines. David Smith had supervised the DIC collieries in the vicinity of Dalmellington in the 1860-70s and was appointed DIC General Mining Manager in 1884.
It should also be noted that the area to the immediate west on the flanks of Mullwharchar was proposed as one of the initial sites proposed by NIREX for a nuclear waste depository. The application for planning permission for drilling became a cause celebre for the anti-nuclear movement and probably the last mass action by the Doon Valley NUM. Needless to say the drilling rigs stayed away!
Personal communication Graham Owens.

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