Raasay: Tramway junction

Raasay Ironstone Mine and Processing Works

This is the point where the No.2 Mine tramway joins the No.1 Mine tramway before heading south towards the processing plant at East Suisnish. The ruined building is the remains of the No.2 tramway winding house. The mountains of Skye are in the distance.

Background
The two adits of Raasay No.1 ironstone Mine were situated about 2.5 km north of East Suisnish pier and worked the Jurassic (Upper Lias) age siderite and chamosite ores from 1914 to 1920. The mine was owned and developed by William Baird & Co. who also built the terraces of houses in the village of Inverarish to house the mine workers, many of whom were German prisoners of war. A tramway and incline connected the mine to the processing works (crusher, calcining kilns, gantries, loading hoppers) at East Suisnish.

A second pair of mine adits (Raasay No.2 Ironstone Mine) just north of Inverarish were also opened up around the same time but never went into proper production due to geological difficulties (faulting).

There was also a small amount of opencast outcrop mining carried out near the No.1 Mine, again around the same time.

The works were dismantled by 1943 but the site is now a scheduled protected monument.

A view of the works in 1917 is here:
geoscenic.bgs.ac.uk/asset-bank/action/viewAsset?id=1343

The No.2 Mine entrances in 1917 are shown here:
geoscenic.bgs.ac.uk/asset-bank/action/viewAsset?id=1341