Wanlockhead

The village of Wanlockhead stands 467 metres (1531 feet) above sea level and is reputed to be the highest village in Scotland. Situated in the Lowther Hills at the head of the Mennock Pass, which forms part of the Southern Uplands, Wanlockhead lies approximately 60 miles south east of Glasgow and 30 miles north of Dumfries in Dumfries and Galloway.
Until the middle of the C16th the village was named Winlocke, derived from the Gaelic name Cuingealach and meaning narrowness or narrow place. The village owes its existence to the discovery of mineral deposits in the local area, which gave it the nickname of ‘God’s Treasure House’. These minerals included lead, zinc, copper, silver and even gold. In fact some of the world’s purest gold, at 22.8 carats, was found in the local hills and used in the making of the Scottish crown.
The Romans were probably the earliest people to exploit these deposits and there are purported claims of Roman roads and the remains of a fort in the nearby hills. From the C13th onwards the minerals began to be mined once again mainly during the summer months. Workers cottages and a lead smelting plant were built in 1680 by the Duke of Buccleuch thereby creating a permanent village.
Wanlockhead became quite a heavily industrialised and industrious village through the lead mining subsequently undertaken in the area. A railway link was opened in 1901 which remained open until 1939 by which time lead mining was in decline. Some mining continued until the late 1950s.
Today Wanlockhead relies primarily on tourism and is a popular place for visitors and walkers. The Southern Upland Way, a long distance footpath stretching for 212 miles from Cocksburnspath on the coast east of Edinburgh to Port Partick on the west coast near Stranraer, passes through the village.
However, the main claim to fame is the Museum of Lead Mining situated in the old village smithy. Visitors follow a trail that includes a guided tour of the Lochgell Lead Mine, the Miners Library opened in 1756 and former miners’ cottages. There is also an important Bolton and Watt beam engine, thought to be from the mid 1700s, and the only surviving example of a waterbucket pumping engine to be seen on a mine in Britain today.
Robert Burns is also said to have visited Wanlockhead in 1790, staying at Ramage’s Inn where he wrote the poem ‘Pegasus at Wanlockhead’ in honour of his horse, and again in 1792 to explore the lead mines.
Further information about the area can be obtained from the following site: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/wanlockhead/wanlockhead/index.html