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S Late Q Uarries (0) (0) Login | Register Accessibility Archaeology InSites Return to Archaeology InSites S l a t e Q u a r r i e s - E a s d a l e I s l a n d , A r g y l l A n d B u t e 500 Years of Slate and Spoil When the first known references to an industrial site date from the mid-16th century, you don’t quite know what to expect upon arrival. Easdale Island, one of the Slate Islands about 15 miles south of Oban, does not disappoint as an impressive Industrial landscape. Records show that as early as the 17th century some of the most prominent buildings of the day in Scotland – Cawdor Castle and Glasgow Cathedral amongst them - were roofed with Easdale Slate, as was Ardmaddy Castle, the nearby seat of the Campbells of Breadalbane. The Campbells, as the long-term owners of the Easdale, established quarrying across the Slate Isles and this reached its industrialised peak of 9,000,000 slates in the mid-18th century. The topography and character of Easdale Island today is almost entirely the product of the slate quarrying industry, which has dominated the island for centuries. The island’s coastline has been nibbled, scarred and reshaped by surface quarrying - as have the sides of the large ridge-shaped hill in the centre. Seven enormous sunken quarry-holes, now flooded, dominate much of the island’s terrain, while the ground rises and falls in between amongst a network of spoil-heaps and flat plains made-up of discarded slate chips. Weaving amongst these are tramways that once moved the slate around the island. There are also patchworks of walled enclosures used as gardens for growing food. A village of cottages that once accommodated the workers and their families is gathered around the island’s harbour on the east side of the island at the point closest to the mainland. Decline and renovation In 1881 a huge storm seriously flooded and damaged the island’s working quarries to such an extent that the industry never properly recovered - although large-scale quarrying continued until 1911. In the course of several visits to record the industrial remains on the islands by means of measured drawings and photography, it has become clear that much of the landscape today is defined as much by the post-industrial legacy, as by the activities associated with the slate's extraction. Ordnance Survey maps and aerial imagery allows us to trace how many of the slate-heaps and how much of the northern coastline of the island have been remodelled using the centuries of slate waste. The sea, too, has slowly broken down the man-made edges of some of the quarries that were once worked far below sea-level. It has also claimed parts of the island that were once given over to gardens and more slate waste. The population of the island once declined to a handful of people following the end of slate production. Since then the vast majority of the houses in the workers' village have been renovated and are now inhabited by a mix of permanent residents and holiday-makers enjoying the tranquillity of the tiny, car-free island. The community even hosts special events, such as the World Stone Skimming Championships, which takes place every year on one of the flooded quarries. The industrial remains of Easdale continue to define the island's character, just as they have since the very earliest days of slate extraction. Sources: Easdale, Belnahua, Luing and Seil: The Islands that Roofed the World. Mary Withall, Revised Edition 2013 (Luath Press, Edinburgh) Iain Anderson - Architecture Survey and Recording Projects Manager https://canmore.org.uk/site/22614/easdale-slate-quarries http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM10355 http://www.wosas.net/wosas_site.php?id=852 # A r c h I n S i t e s Please be aware that this site may be on private land. For more information regarding access please consult the Scottish Outdoor Access Code Accessibility Policy Buying Images Cookie Policy Legals Glossary Contact MyCanmore Sitemap User Guide © Historic Environment Scotland. Scottish Charity No. SC045925.
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