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Dykehead Fireclay Mine

Dykehead, High Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire.

Mines (Fireclay), 20th Century.

Extensive mine complex, mostly comprising the No.1 & No.2 Mines (neighbouring mine mouth adits at N end of workings). The subsurface pillar-and-stall workings were near-contiguous with the Milnquarter Mine workings to the E. Abandonment plan (see refs) descriptions suggest that the overlapping No.1 & No.2 Mines extracted clay from the Bonnybridge Main Upper Fireclay and Skipperton Upper Fireclay, respectively. A third mine mouth (No.3 Mine) was located in the vicinity of ~[NS 8250 7890].

"Situated at Bonnybridge, at the side of the North British Railway, Glasgow to Edinburgh line; it is 1/2 mile east of Greenhill Junction on the Caledonian Railway... The Dykehead Fireclay Mine is at present (1916) being extended and deepened. Hitherto only fireclay has been worked, but to meet the great demand for silica bricks it is now intended to use the associated ganister seams. A railway siding is being made to the mine at Dykehead; Brickworks are in course of erection, with crushing and mixing mills, drying sheds, and kilns of the continuous Newcastle type. (These are now (1917) in operation At the new works, an output of 500,000 bricks a month is expected. The full section of strata which it is intended to work is not yet completely opened up (Dec 1916), but will average some 24 ft. in thickness, and will be worked in three benches." [Scottish Brick History]

Alternative Names: None recorded.

Notes: Mine operated by Glenboig Union Fireclay Co., and was abandoned in 1962.

Marked as 'Mine' on 1922 OS map (given 8 fig. NGR).