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The Museum of Lead Mining is an independent museum and therefore does not receive government funding.
Building on the museum’s first 50 years!
We are fundraising to keep the story of the Scottish lead miners alive into the next 50 years and beyond. So much more to share!
For the last 50 years our not-for-profit charity has been dedicated to preserving and sharing the fascinating story of our stoic and innovative lead miners who worked here between the 1700s and 1950s. In the 1800s, lead miners emigrated all round the world from this remote area and we want our stories to follow them and their families! Our museum is set in the highest village in Scotland, nestling in the remote Southern Uplands. It was a long journey by horse and cart to any sizeable town. It was very difficult to get coal for power and the miners used ingenious ways to harness rainwater to power the pumps and machinery. In their spare time the miners loved reading. They read an enormous variety of books with very few about mining! Nearly 3000 of these books remain in our historic library today.
Over the next 50 years we want to share this story more widely outside the south of Scotland and to a wider audience. We have stories to tell from the old family records going back over 5 generations. There are handwritten records from the 1700s. We aim to develop the accessibility of the museum records, to digitize records that are suitable and share these widely with our audience.
Your kind donation* will help us to continue to develop the visitor experience and improve access to our collection for all members of the community living locally and for those living further afield.
