Castletown Mine

Overview

A small copper mine on the shore of Loch Fyne near Lochgilphead, worked in the 19th century and briefly revived just before the First World War, defeated both times by the cost of pumping the workings dry.

History

A copper-bearing vein at Castletown, on the east side of Loch Gilp near Ballimore, was worked at an unrecorded early date -- it already appeared as disused on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of the mid-19th century. William Smith took a lease on the mineral rights in 1862 and immediately sub-let them to the Castleton and Silvercraig Mining Company, which resumed working the vein. The mine was revived a second time between 1910 and 1912 by the Shirvan Mining Company Ltd under managing director Mr Taylor; the local contractor James Carmichael sank a 90-foot shaft to assess the quality of the remaining ore. This second attempt was abandoned around 1912, defeated by the cost of controlling water in the workings and a shortage of funds.

Geology

A north-east-trending copper-bearing vein in the Ardrishaig Phyllite Formation, around 6 feet wide and dipping steeply west at 70 degrees, hosting much-shattered quartz recemented by later quartz growth; the ore was mainly cupriferous pyrites with some chalcopyrite and galena, and assays showed a trace of gold at around 4 pennyweight per long ton.

Geological setting: Strike and Dip (well documented example)

Workings

A vein worked from the surface and, during the 1910-1912 revival, via a 90-foot assessment shaft; flooding was a persistent problem in both working periods.

Closure

The 1910-1912 revival was abandoned around 1912 owing to flooding and a lack of funds; the mine was not worked again.

What remains

The mine no longer appears on modern Ordnance Survey maps; some physical traces reportedly survive in fields behind Lingerton Lodge.

Some physical traces reportedly survive in fields behind Lingerton Lodge, though nothing appears on modern mapping.

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• The vein trends north-east, averages 6 feet in width, dips west at 70 degrees, and yielded cupriferous pyrites with some chalcopyrite and galena; assays showed a trace of gold at around 4 pennyweight per long ton. ¹
• William Smith leased the mineral rights in 1862 and sub-let them to the Castleton and Silvercraig Mining Company; a second revival by the Shirvan Mining Company Ltd between 1910 and 1912, which sank a shaft to around 100 feet, was abandoned for want of funds and against uncontrollable flooding. The mine was owned at that time by Mr Graham Campbell of Shirvan. ^1,2
• The old mine, on the east side of Loch Gilp about 150 yards west of Ballimore, belonged to Graham Campbell of Shirvan; reopened in 1912, it had to be closed for inability to cope with the water. ^1,2
• The Shirvan Mining Company began in 1910 by having the local contractor James Carmichael sink a 90-foot shaft on the Shirvan estate. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Castletown Mine — Scottish Cave and Mine Database — Grampian Speleological Group / Scottish Cave and Mine Database
2. (primary) Copper and nickel ores of Scotland. Area I, II and III. Historical notes and mainland areas. — British Geological Survey (BGS Earthwise)

Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 24 September 2026