Iron stone bell pit at Wilsontown Ironworks - the same technique was also used at Blairadam in the search for coal.
Coal Mining in Scotland

The earliest historic record of coal mining in Scotland was in the 13th century near Blairadam, which became a renowned mining area. Commonly people preferred wood and peat to heat their homes. Coal was not popular because of its disagreeable black smoke and lack of availability. The smoke was so disagreeable that in London during the 14th century, the burning of coal was a capital offence and at least one man was executed as punishment for this crime. In the 18th century, however, the invention of the steam engine and the move towards industrialisation saw a rise in the use of coal as a cheap fuel source. Opened in 1779 Wilsontown Ironworks was one of the first Scottish blast furnaces to use coal. The coal industry grew rapidly and spread across Scotland's central belt over the 19th century. For example, in the parish of Slamannan many mines opened, including Balquhatson and Limerigg Collieries. In the search for coal, mines became deeper and spread further underground. Safety was a low consideration and the industry was infamous for poor and dangerous working conditions. After World War II, the government decided to nationalise all large mines to better control production as well as improve working conditions. The first major mine sunk by the newly formed National Coal Board (NCB) was near Carluke called Kingshill No.3, in 1951. In the 1960s, however, the industry went into fast decline as competition grew from other fuel sources such as petroleum, natural gas, nuclear power and hydro-electric. At the same time, the government's Clean Air legislation dramatically reduced the use of coal. In 2002 the last deep mine in Scotland, Longannet in Fife, was closed.