The Scots Mining Company House, also known as Woodlands Hall, is an early-18th-century mansion house in

Leadhills Leadhills, originally settled for the accommodation of miners, is a village in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, WSW of Elvanfoot. The population in 1901 was 835. It was originally known as Waterhead. It is the second highest village in Scotland, ...

South Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire (; ) is one of 32 unitary authorities of Scotland. It borders the south-east of the Glasgow City council area and contains some of Greater Glasgow's suburban towns, as well as many rural towns and villages. It also shares bor ...

, Scotland. The house was built around 1736 for the manager of the Leadhills mines, which were owned by the Earl of Hopetoun. Its design has been attributed to the architect William Adam. The house is now a

category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) *Category (V ...

. The garden, which is largely unchanged since it was laid out in the 18th century, is included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens.

History

Lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

and

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

have been mined at Leadhills in the

Southern Uplands The Southern Uplands () are the southernmost and least populous of mainland Scotland's three major geographic areas (the others being the Central Lowlands and the Highlands). The term is used both to describe the geographical region and to col ...

for centuries. In the 17th century, Sir James Hope (1614–1661) married Anne, daughter of Robert Foulis of Leadhills, and the mines subsequently passed to his descendants the Earls of Hopetoun. The Scots Mining Company, formally The Governor and Company for Working the Mines and Minerals in that part of North Britain called Scotland, was formed by a London-based group of Scottish merchants. They took a lease on part of the mines in 1729, and in 1735 they appointed James Stirling of Keir (1692–1770) as managing agent. Stirling was a noted mathematician and scientist who had lived in Venice and London, and was a member of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. The house at Leadhills was built between 1734 and 1736 for James Stirling. At this time, the architect William Adam (1689–1748) was engaged by

Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun, Order of the Thistle, KT, Privy Council, PC (1681 – 26 February 1742) was a Scotland, Scottish nobleman. Early life He was the son of John Hope of Hopetoun by a daughter of the John Hamilton, 4th Earl of Had ...

(1681–1742) at

Hopetoun House Hopetoun House is a country house near South Queensferry owned by the Hopetoun House Preservation Trust, a charity established in 1974 to preserve the house and grounds as a national monument, to protect and improve their amenities, and to pre ...

, and Adam's name has been linked to the design of both the house and its garden, though the only record of his involvement is on a building account for the supply of timber. James Stirling proved adept at managing the Leadhills mines, despite his lack of practical experience. Under his tenure the mines became "one of the most profitable industrial enterprises in Scotland". His paternalistic concern for worker's welfare was also noted, and had a long-lasting effect on the culture of the Leadhills mines. In 1770 James' nephew Archibald Stirling succeeded his uncle as manager at Leadhills. By the middle of the 19th century, the lead mines were becoming less profitable, and a series of lawsuits affected the company's profitability. In 1861 the Scots Mining Company was wound up. The manager's house became a shooting lodge, and a small chapel was built in the garden. The gardens are now held by the Scots Mining Company House Trust, a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

. The trust seeks to maintain the gardens as a community resource, and aims to restore the herb garden.

House and garden

The house comprises a two-storey main block with a piend roof. To this was added in 1737 a wing to the south, and in 1740 a larger wing to the north. The gardens contain the remains of an ice house and a small chapel. The garden is surrounded by mature trees, the only woodland in the village. At the high point of the garden was a viewing platform overlooking the village, taken down in 2003. A single storey entrance lodge has been demolished, and the former stables are now derelict and listed on the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.

References

{{reflist Category A listed buildings in South Lanarkshire Listed houses in Scotland Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Houses completed in 1736 William Adam buildings Mining in Scotland 1736 establishments in Scotland Leadhills