Two low cottages built into the road embankment preserve the compact domestic setting of Wanlockhead mine workers.
Quick facts
- Date
- Mid-19th century
- Architect / designer
- Builder unrecorded
- Type
- Pair of miners' cottages
- Designation
- Listed building, Category C (LB17197)
- OS grid reference
- NS 87004 13165
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
Each three-bay cottage has a central doorway with fanlight, flanking sash windows and a rooflight above the entrance. The rear wall is pressed against the higher road bank.
Its story
The row was built close to Straitsteps Mine during the nineteenth-century industry. Museum interpretation now uses the small rooms and fittings to explain household life beside the workings.
Why it is included
The cottages connect the machinery and spoil outside with the living conditions of the families who sustained the mine.
What to notice
- Repeated door-and-window rhythm across the pair.
- Slate roof rising directly against the bank.
- Restricted room sizes and domestic fittings where a tour permits.
Reading the surroundings
Interior visits are by the museum’s guided arrangements. Do not approach through private ground or assume unrestricted opening.
Timeline
- Mid-19th century The adjoining cottages were built beside Straitsteps Mine.
- Late 20th century Museum ownership secured the pair for domestic interpretation.
- 2026 Guided visits continue to explain miners’ home life.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The official record gives no exact completion year or named builder.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Straitsteps Cottages, LB17197 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Museum of Lead Mining: Straitsteps Cottage — Current museum use, domestic interpretation and visitor arrangements.
Location
OS grid reference NS 87004 13165 · Location confidence: High: the national designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference; the independent source confirms the Place relationship, history or current identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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