Coal Mining in Muirkirk

Coal mining, with the iron industry, was central to Muirkirk's expansion. Although the days of deep mining are now long gone in Ayrshire, opencast mining continues around the village and provides employment to a number of people.

Mining Links

• Abandoned Mines in and Around Muirkirk - 1
• Abandoned Mines in and Around Muirkirk - 2
• Ayrshire Miners Rows
• Bankhead Pit Disaster 1898
• Kames Colliery Disaster - Audio Project
  • Memories of the disaster in audio and transcribed for reading
• Kames Colliery Disaster - 19th November 1957
  name of those who died
• Kames Colliery Disaster - 19th November 1957
  report from Muirkirk Advertiser (pdf file)
• Kames Colliery Plans (pdf file)
  
• Kames Colliery Photographs 1 (surface)
• Kames Colliery Photographs 2 (underground)
• Kames Colliery Photographs 3
• Mining Accidents in Muirkirk
  • Flooding of Colliery - report in the New York Times on 12th March 1898:-
    
• Mining-Technology.com is an online resource for the mining industry which also provides news and information on a number of mines all over the World.
• Muirkirk Miners Memorial
  • Muikirk Miners Memorial on Flickr
• Scottish Coal

Coal mining has been described as Scotland's ghost industry - many of its thriving, coal driven communities have almost completely vanished. To make them live again between the pages of his book "Mining", Guthrie Hutton spanned the length and breadth of Ayrshire and Upper Nithsdale, tracking down former miners and unearthing pictures of long-forgotten pits.

Among the many locations featured are Auchenharvie, Glenburn, Auchencruive, Drumley, Killoch, Polquhairn, Houldsworth, Pennyvenie, Minnivey, Mauchline, Highhouse, Barony, Kames, Afton, Knockshinnoch Castle, Fauldhead and Killochan.

There are over 200 illustrations covering all aspects of mining life.

More information about this book can be found on the Stenlake Publishing website