Blairenbathie Colliery

Overview

A Fife Coal Company colliery at Blairenbathie, near Kelty and Blairadam, worked from about 1900 with pits and later a drift mine, run alongside Blairadam Colliery, and finally abandoned in 1962.

History

Blairenbathie Colliery lay at Blairenbathie, west of Kelty on the edge of the Blairadam estate, in the parish of Cleish on the Fife and Kinross border. It was at work by 1900 under the Fife Coal Company, employing 94, with John Allan as manager; a pit sinker was living at Blairenbathie that year. Employment grew to 258 in 1905, 336 in 1910 and 390 in 1920, working the Dunfermline Splint, Five Feet, Diamond, Cairncubie, Glassee, Lochgelly Splint and Main seams for manufacturing and steam coal.

Blairenbathie was managed together with the neighbouring Blairadam Colliery: Robert Aitchison ran both until September 1918, when James Roden came from the Mary Pit at Lochore, and after the 1921 dispute both were slow to get back to full work. The colliery was temporarily closed in 1933.

It was working again under the National Coal Board, with 50 men raising 25,000 tons in 1947. A drift mine was later worked here, its mouth fitted with a 'Warrick block', and opencast working took the shallow Five Foot and Lochgelly seams in 1950. The last workings, in the Lower Lochgelly Splint, were abandoned in 1962.

Geology

The Fife coalfield's Lochgelly and Dunfermline measures: the Dunfermline Splint, Five Feet, Diamond, Cairncubie, Glassee, Lochgelly Splint, Main and Jersey seams, with the Lochgelly Parrot worked opencast.

Workings

Pits worked from about 1900, and later a drift mine whose mouth was fitted with a Warrick block. A railway viaduct is recorded at the site. Opencast workings took the Five Foot and the Upper and Lower Lochgelly Splint and Parrot in 1950; the Lower Lochgelly Splint No. 3 was abandoned in 1962.

Closure

The colliery was temporarily closed in 1933 and worked again after 1947; its last seam was abandoned in 1962.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• In 1954 the colliery employed 929. (uncertain) ¹

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Blairenbathie employed 94 in 1900, 336 in 1910 and 390 in 1920 under the Fife Coal Co., was temporarily closed in 1933, and employed 50 in 1947 raising 25,000 tons. ¹
• John Allan was manager in 1900, George S. Christie in 1905 and Joseph Provan in 1910. ²
• Robert Aitchison, manager at Blairadam and Blairenbathie Collieries, was transferred in September 1918 and replaced by Mr Roden from the Mary Pit, Lochore. ³
• Blairenbathie mine was photographed with its mouth and 'Warrick Block'; the site is recorded with a railway viaduct, in Cleish parish. ⁴
• Plans of the Lower Lochgelly Splint No. 3 at Blairenbathie record abandonment in 1962. ⁵
• Opencast working at Blairenbathie took the Five Foot and Lochgelly Splint and Parrot seams, abandoned on 25 October 1950. ⁶
• In 1954 the colliery employed 929. (uncertain) ¹

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Blairenbathie Colliery (UK) — Durham Mining Museum
2. (primary) Durham Mining Museum - Blairenbathie Colliery: colliery management — Durham Mining Museum
3. (secondary) Pit-B-2. Blairadam Pits and Mines - Fife Pits — Fife Pits
4. (primary) Blairenbathie Mine (NRHE 79205) - Canmore / trove.scot — Historic Environment Scotland
5. (primary) BGS mine plans: Blairenbathie (Lower Lochgelly Splint No. 3, abandoned 1962) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
6. (primary) BGS mine plans: Blairenbathie opencast (Five Foot, abandoned 25 Oct 1950) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

Record created: 1 October 2026 · Last researched: 1 October 2026