The cache starts from the Dunaskin Museum between Patna and
Dalmellington.
The History.
The ironworks which occupied this site was established in the
1840s to produce pig iron, the basic commodity required by
foundries. At this time Scottish pig iron was in particular demand
and the profits to be made encouraged the setting up of additional
furnaces at existing works and the creation of new enterprises. The
proprietors of the Coltness iron Works (principally the Houldsworth
family) came to the Doon Valley to exploit its abundant deposits of
coal and, notably, its blackband ironstone and limestone, all of
which were required to produce pig iron. To the quiet and pastoral
setting with its agriculture, sheep farming and small weaving trade
the new Dalmellington Iron Company brought dramatic change.
Furnaces and workshops were set up by the River Doon and a railway
system created to transport raw materials from the mines to the
furnaces. The first iron was made in September 1848 and soon horse
drawn wagons were carrying loads to Ayr. It is no exaggeration to
state that the establishment of the iron works at Waterside was the
single most important event in the recorded history of the Doon
Valley. The economic, environmental and social consequences are
still with us.
To perform the multitude of tasks required in the new enterprise
the Company brought in hundreds of men (and their families).
The Dalmellington Iron Company reached its peak of prosperity in
the 1870s. Eight furnaces were in blast and there was work for
everyone. Never a particularly prosperous or innovative company,
although latterly it was a pioneer in the use of waste gases for
byproducts, the Dalmellington Iron Company suffered along with the
other Scottish iron companies as they lost their competitive edge
in the 1880s. At the same time local supplies of blackband
ironstone were running out and ore had to be imported from Spain,
adding to costs. By the start of the twentieth century the company
was in decline and only the outbreak of the First World War and the
consequent demand for iron delayed the inevitable collapse.
After the war the economic situation and labour unrest added to
the difficulties. In March 1921, during a strike which halted the
supply of coal, the furnaces were blown down and ironmaking at
Waterside ended after 73 years. There still remained abundant coal
deposits, and the Company directed its energies to exploiting them.
In addition, the furnaces were removed and a new brickworks erected
in their place. In the Autumn of 1931 the Dalmellington Iron
Company went into liquidation. Its assets were merged with the
Ayrshire interests of William Baird and Company and the Sanquhar
and Kirkconnel Collieries to form Bairds and Dalmellington Ltd. The
new Company continued the coal mining and brickmaking operations
until control was assumed by the National Coal Board in 1947.
The ironworks site was used by the N.C.B. (latterly British Coal)
until 1988. The site is now in the care of the Dalmellington and
District Conservation Trust, which was founded in 1982 with the
principal objective of creating at Waterside an industrial museum
devoted to the industrial and social history of the Doon
Valley.
The Cache
The cache contains bonus swaps for the first two FTFs ...a £5
coin and binoculars, also contains a wee TB which has started from
this cache for Kevin.
:
Wallace the Bruin frae Struan
Enjoy the cache and your freedom.
Parking available at the bowling green
N 55° 20.940 W 004° 28.111
To get to the cache, start from the car park at the Bowling Club
by the Museum , look for the "Ardoon" trail past the play area. (
ok ok ...have a shot on the chutes, no-one will know )take the
first path to your right and continue until you reach the signpost
for "Countryside Trail".
You have a choice when you get to Countryside post 5...
1:- Continue along the trail until the "inappropriate structure"
sign, bear left , and follow the glen and keep climbing.
2:- "Follow the arrow" after the kissing gates at "Countryside
Trail 5" ( you'll miss the super wee glen )