No Idea

Took this photo while waiting to pick Adam up from a party. It's in Loanhead, just outside Edinburgh. I have no idea what the big funnel-like object is. Nearby there's a memorial to the miners who lost their lives at Bilston Glen colliery. Mining was once the lifeblood of many towns in the central belt, and it's easy to forget what a dangerous, exhausting and dirty job it was (and probably still is). So I suppose the objects must have something to do with mining, but it's not clear what. Anyway, not something you see on every high street!