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Corantee Lead Mine [1]

Strontian, Argyll & Bute.

The underground workings and associated surface remains of an abandoned lead mine.

The workings consist of (a) an open-cast groove some 130m in length, and (b) an underground mine, or level, with a recorded length of 230m. The associated surface remains include (c) an embanked rope-operated incline, (d) a water-wheel pit with part of an ore-crushing floor adjacent, and (e) masonry buildings, probably an office, store and house. [Canmore]

The Corrantree mine worked a lead vein which outcrops at the surface between NM 8006 6560 and NM 8048 6585. Mining consisted of a series of shallow opencast excavations and more westerly opencasts drained by a level driven from the north bank of the Allt Tarsuin. The opencast workings and their associated hand-dressing floors for ore treatment probably relate to the first phase of operation between 1722 and 1815. The manager's house and office are likely to date to the same period but may have continued in use until the mine closed n the 1870s.

A 122m long level, known as Deep Level, was driven beneath the opencast workings to explore the vein at depth (Wilson 1921: 86). Ore from Deep Level was taken to a rope-operated incline and delivered to a water-powered crushing mill at the bottom of the hill; given the large size of the wheel pit, this phase of mining is probably 19th century and is likely to belong to the 1850-1872 period. The only evidence for 20th century working is the collapsed wooden shed or bothy with broken drill cores which probably was in use during the 1950s or 1968 drilling programme. [John Pickin]

Alternate Names: Corantee Mine, Corrantree Lead Mine

Notes: It is probable that Corrantee is a corruption of Coire an t- [Suidhe].

The monument is of national importance because it is one of only two well-preserved lead workings in this once extensive and important lead-mining area near Strontian. The Strontian mines achieved 'celebrity' status in 1791 with the identification of strontia (strontium monoxide) in the local mineral Strontianite. The Corrantee mine was among the first to be opened in 1725. The lead-bearing deposits were worked intermittently thereafter until the final closure in 1871.

The monument preserves both the open-cast groove, worked by the first miners, and the later underground level. Most of the surviving surface remains appear to belong to the last phase of activity but the remains of earlier periods may survive beneath the grass. The presence of both types of method for extracting the ore and the well-preserved surface workings for its crushing and dressing combine to make this monument a particularly important one for future study. [HES]