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Wembley Mine (Borlase Shaft)

Leadhills, Lanarkshire.

Mine (Lead, Aggregate), early 20th c.

Situated on the '450 Fathom Cross-cut' & '350 Fathom Level' via the Gripps Level, intersecting the Mill Vein & Horse Level Vein. A large spoil tip was formerly present at this site, but was reportedly removed 1960-61 for use as hordcore for the A74 dual carriageway between Abington and Elvanfoot.

"In 1925 the Borlaise, or as it was commonly known, the Wembley Mine was sunk in an attempt to find ore in veins worked long before and all efforts were concentrated there. In 1929 consultants reported, 'So far payable ore has not been found' and the company - unable to find itself a buyer - was wound up... In 1931 a new company, The New Leadhills Mining Company was formed to mine ore and sell 'road chips'. The type of rock at Leadhills, greywacke, is not a good road stone and the venture was not very profitable. In 1938 the Wembley Mine was finally closed and the company was wound up and on Tuesday 18th June 1940 the machinery was sold off." [Leadhills Miners' Museum]

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"In 1923 and, acting on recommendations, the Leadhills Company Ltd began sinking a new shaft at the bottom of the village on the Mill and Glasgow veins. It was called the Borlase Mine because, in 1913, W.H.Borlase a Cumbrian mining engineer had recommended opening a mine there. It was however generally known as the Wembley Mine for it was begun the day on which the Wembley Exhibition opened, and no doubt it was expected that it too would exhibit good things. The 1925 Annual Company Meeting was held in Leadhills, perhaps to discourage the presence of dissenting London voices. Shareholders who made the journey were told it had been a disappointing year. The expected riches in the new mine had failed to materialise. Most of the drifts in the Glasgow vein had only found barren ground, and cross cuts had been opened to the Meadowhead, Brown and Carse veins.

The gas engine at the Wembley mine gave so much trouble it had to be taken out, and in 1927 a water turbine was installed instead. The next year more machinery was moved to the mine from the Glengonnar Mine. There was seldom any investment in new plant if the old could be made to serve. The workings in Wembley were now down to 450 ft (140 M), but the Glasgow vein proved a disappointment. Cross cuts were driven to five other veins, including Mill and Meadowhead, but, although some ore was raised from the former, results elsewhere were disappointing. The 1927 meeting welcomed F.J.Tregay as the new manager, but the price for lead continued to decline and there was a loss of £4464. Meanwhile operations on the Brow vein were wound down for, in spite of trials at various levels, no new lodes had been found and in 1928 the Glengonnar mine, once seen as being at the forefront of technology, was abandoned, and work was concentrated at Wembley, with 88 men underground and 56 on the surface.

A bold notion was to take a long, exploratory, level to the west to intersect veins under Hunt Law and on the boundary of the Company's ground. But nothing seems to have come of this, and by the end of 1928 it was being rumoured that 100 men would be paid off. In fact less were made redundant but what was described as "arctic weather" added to a bleak outlook for the Leadhills villagers. In February 1929 the Hamilton Advertiser reported "everything points to a stoppage". By March most of the miners had been laid off, and in June the Mining World announced "with regret" that operations would cease. On the 27th M,arch an extraordinary general meeting resolved the company be sold. No purchaser came forward, and on the 12th October, the Leadhills Company Ltd was wound up." [K. Ledger]

Alternative Names: Borlase Shaft, Borlaise Shaft, Borlase's Shaft, Borlaise Mine

Notes: Coordinates determined by rescaling of mine plan SP1807 over satellite imagery.

Hydrographic Feeds: None

Hydrographic Resurgences: None