Museum of Lead Mining

About the museum

The Museum of Lead Mining stands in Wanlockhead in the Lowther Hills, an area where lead was mined for centuries. The Wanlockhead Museum Trust was formed in 1974 by Geoff Downs-Rose and Bill Harvey, with the backing of the village council, which had looked after the Miners’ Library since it closed as a subscription library in 1946. The first displays were in Goldscaur Cottage.

Today’s Visitor Centre, built in the early 1990s around the old smithy, holds a self-guided museum, the shop and the tearoom. The displays begin with the geology of the Lowther Hills and its minerals and go on to mining tools, pumps and the stories of local poets, authors and engineers. In 2007 Museum Galleries Scotland recognised the collection as nationally important.

Visitors on the guided ticket also go underground into Lochnell Mine, an 18th-century working with a timbered passage, and see the Miners’ Library, founded in 1756, and Straitsteps Cottages, which show how miners’ families lived in 1750, 1850 and 1920. The museum is an independent charity run by volunteer trustees and funded by admissions and donations; grant funding is being used to renovate the historic cottages.

Highlights

• Guided tour into the 18th-century Lochnell lead mine
• Miners’ Library, one of the oldest workers’ libraries in Scotland
• Straitsteps Cottages furnished for 1750, 1850 and 1920
• Self-guided museum on geology, minerals and lead mining
• Gold panning sessions in the museum’s tanks

Permanent exhibitions

• Visitor Centre museum – A self-guided exhibition on the geology and minerals of the Lowther Hills, lead mining equipment and pumps, and the people of Wanlockhead.
• Lochnell Mine tour – A guided walk of about 350 metres into an 18th-century lead mine, ending at a stope where the lead vein can be seen.
• Straitsteps Cottages and Miners’ Library – Miners’ cottages furnished to show daily life in 1750, 1850 and 1920, and the historic subscription library of the lead miners.

Founded

1974

Operated by

Wanlockhead Museum Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices are those published for the 2026 season. The Visitor Centre museum alone costs £7.50 for adults, paid at reception. Tickets bought for a season are valid until the end of September.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The Visitor Centre and tearoom are wheelchair accessible, and accessible toilets with baby changing are next to the Visitor Centre. Visitors with mobility difficulties cannot join the regular underground tour, but the museum is willing to discuss options. Only service dogs are allowed in the Visitor Centre, shop, tearoom, Miners’ Library, Straitsteps Cottages and the mine.

Kids & families

• Baby changing facilities

Family guided tickets are offered. Children under 5 are not allowed underground, and children aged 16 or under must be accompanied by an adult. Accessible toilets next to the Visitor Centre include baby changing.

Getting there & parking

The museum is about 8 miles from the M74 and lies on the Southern Upland Way. From the M74 use junction 14 northbound or 13 southbound (about 15 minutes), or take the B797 to Wanlockhead from the A76 near Mennock.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Visitor Centre houses a gift shop and a tearoom with an outdoor patio.

Events & venue rental

The museum is closed until spring 2027.

Plan your visit