Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM9871_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600013605)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of an engine house, a lime kiln and other associated structures. The monument represents the surviving components of Blacksyke Colliery and dates to the late 18th century.

The monument is situated within Caprington Golf Course at about 35m OD. This represents the remains of Blacksyke Colliery, depicted on the Ordnance Survey First Edition map (1860), within Caprington Estate. The steam winding engine house consists of a small rectangular tower, measuring c.6m by 8m, with walls c.0.7m thick.

It is constructed in the manner of a towerhouse, with rubble-built walls and dressed stone quoins. It is vaulted at its lowest level, with windows irregularly placed, some of which have been blocked. The building has a corbelled parapet on the S and E elevations, with the remains of a chimney turret at the NE and of crowstepped gables.

The building was probably disguised as a tower, to be seen from Caprington Castle. The engine house was built in 1781 and is believed to be one of the oldest of its kind in Great Britain. It housed an atmospheric engine, with a cylinder probably 33 inches in diameter, manufactured by the Carron Ironworks.

The lime kiln is present on the Ordnance Survey First Edition map (1860), but was disused by the time of the OS Second Edition map (1897).

The proposed scheduling comprises an area irregular in plan, containing the engine house and lime kiln, with a length of wagonway approaching the site from the NW, along with the surrounding area in which associated remains are likely to survive. The area measures c.260m WNW-ESE by c.73m N-S, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance because it represents an important survival of two of the key industries, coal and lime, which transformed this area during the Industrial Revolution. This was an important site within the Ayrshire coalfields, one of the most productive parts of the Scottish coal industry in the 19th century.

The Gothicised form of the engine house is rare and unusual. The importance of the site is further enhanced by the possibility that the engine house is one of the oldest surviving examples of this type of structure in Great Britain. The buried archaeology of the site has considerable potential to inform an understanding of the development of these industries in Ayrshire.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.