Southrigg Colliery Remains

Image: © Ian Dodds Taken: 21 Aug 2022

Southrigg Colliery was a relatively recent short-lived open-cast coal mine. It was operational for just 12 years and closed in 1950, and employed around 100 men. A 1950s surveyed OS map still shows a building at this spot, and is where I took its name from. Canmore - the arm of Historic Environment Scotland that assiduously details all traces of human activity in the landscape - however refers to it as 'Netherton Mine'; Netherton Farm is situated just South of here. Presumably this would have once been the site of the main building - probably made up of offices, changing rooms, toilets and the miners' canteen, referenced in the Canmore write-up as a, "piece canteen run by workmen [please note that 'piece' is a colloquialism for sandwich]". It is surprising that back in the days of union power, stoves weren't demanded - though this could have had something to do with resources being stretched at the beginning of the Second World War I suppose. I initially presumed that the odd criss-cross nature of the remains of this brick and concrete structure - along with the presence of regular small square holes at the top of the 'walls' with vertical metal bars inside - hinted at some unknown mining activities having taken place here previously. On reflection, though, this may well just be how foundations were quickly built on the boggy ground round these parts. The irregular shaped remains cover an area of around 30 by 20 feet.

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