The Mine above Saltcoats High Road

[Mitchy]

Anyone remember the mine above Saltcoats High Road, a few hundred yards behind where Tesco's currently sits? I think it was a Bauxite mine.

I was brought up in Ailsa Road, and the mine sat at the top of the field across from our house. It was still fully operable in the 1960's and we used to go up and watch the bogeys coming up and emptying onto the lorries...until the guys who worked there chased us away 'fur yer ain safety', and they were right of course.

Anyone else remember this mine, and does anyone know exactly when it closed?

[ellenyoung31]

Hello Mitchi.
before the mine was, where you are talking about it was on the High
road just about where the Church manse is ,maybe further than the
manse. I stayed in the Prefabs when it was working.
Some one in the forum said it was a bauxite mine it closed and
opened the one you are talking about.
I will try to remember the person who knows about the mine.
I have a cousin stays in Ailsa road her name is Marion Barr
she has a son Tom and a daughter Joyce.
Best wishes Ellen.

[Mitchy]

I have a cousin stays in Ailsa road her name is Marion Barr she has a son Tom and a daughter Joyce.
Best wishes Ellen.

Hi Ellen,

I remember the Barr's well. Joyce is about the same age as me, and Tom is couple of years older. I haven't seen either of them for many a long year. Any idea what they are up to?

Regards,

Mitchy

[ellenyoung31]

Hello Mitchi.
last I heard Tom Barr stays in Canada. and Joyce in Killwinning.
my cousian Marion still stays at 30 Ailsa Road.
Where do you stay now.
Best Wishes, Ellen.

[calleytwo]

I remember the bauxite mine concerned up by the pre fabs. I was only a wee boy of 8 when I left Saltcoats in 1955 but I can vividly remember the sloping entrance and the bogies and for some reason or other I can remember a danger sign related to high tension electricity. I am still curious as to where the other bauxite mines were. I seem to remember being told the first one had been near the Stevenston sand hills and the LMS railway though someone in an earlier thread said that was a coal mine. And my brother said the other day he thought the Quarry near the "Luney" school had been a bauxite mine. Anyone know? Wee Ali

[bigb]

I remember it well - it was a Bauxite mine and if I remember rightly one of the miners was Bobby Auld from Stevenston.
We used to play there - particularly after it closed down, there was a wee railway down the drift as far as the big iron gate that guarded the opening for the underground tunnel. There was the brick superstructure that the boggies were pulled up by a steel cable where they were spun around and tipped into the lorries. There was also a winding house and a changing room / shower block.
Some way away in the middle of the field was a small brick fan housing with a big motor and a massive propellor that forced ventilation down into the mine by a seperate shaft. If I remeber rightly the only security we had to overcome to get in and play there was a barbed wire fence about three feet high!

[brvhrtjimmy]

yeh i remember that mine the gate on the high road is still there its in tesco's car park, that was the entrance in an out, it was in 1974 when the first coal strike was on and that mine was closed, (but still there) it was a great place for pit shores,they would be stolen oops sorry i mean taken away and sawn up for logs i only know this cos i was told about it.
james barr (not related as far as i know to the barrs mentioned previsouly)