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Lecht Mine 

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Leicht Mine

N of Bridge of Leachd, above Well of the Lecht, W of Tom na Broighleig, Banffshire.

NGR:NJ 23700 15900
WGS84:57.22745, -3.26538
Length:Not recorded
Vert. Range:Not recorded
Altitude:Not recorded
Geology:Iron & Manganese
Tags:Mine, ManMade, Archaeo
Registry:second

Mine. North of Well of Lecht on the stream running south from Coire Buidhe. These appear to have been open cut workings of little interest to cavers. 3 pits at mine, other excavations, dumped material, building foundations, mill lead remains & recently renovated mill building. Pit 3 overgrown.

Alternate Names: Leachd Mine, Lecht Mine

Notes: Mining 1st took place at Lecht in late 18th century, when York Mining Company established workings on land forfeited the government following 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. Both ironstone & manganese ore mined at site & transported to Culnakyle, near Nethybridge, for smelting. Most prominent feature of mining landscape at Lecht is 2-storeyed, rubble-built building with large arched doorway, restored & re-roofed with local slate in 1980s. Dates from second, post-1841 phase of activity at mine, & probably served as crushing mill, powered by water wheel measuring almost 8m in diameter set at one of its gable walls. Other remains include mill lade, dumps of waste material, & mine workings which consist of vertical shafts & adits driven at shallow angle into hillside. When production reached peak during 1840s, 63 people employed at mine. By 1847, however, cheap imports of manganese from Russia made it unprofitable & mine closed. Ironstone Mine (disused) [NAT].

Ironstone Mine, Lecht. 18th to 19th century. Principal remains tall 2-storey rubble building with segmental-arched openings; may have housed crushing machinery. High-level lade, & waterwheel about 42ins (1.06m) wide by 24ft (7.32m) diameter on one gable; kingpost roof well preserved.

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This entry was last updated: 2018-02-06 14:14:17

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