Blantyre Colliery

Overview

William Dixon's colliery at High Blantyre, worked through several numbered pits into the 20th century, and the site of Scotland's worst-ever mining disaster -- an 1877 firedamp explosion that killed 207 men and boys, followed by two further fatal accidents at the same group of pits within the next two years (see Disasters, below).

History

Dixon's operated three main pits at High Blantyre -- No. 1 on the site later occupied by Priestfield Cemetery, No. 2 on what is now part of Hamilton Technology Park, and No. 3 near the present Priestfield Industrial Estate -- with a fourth pit at Larkfield producing coal by 1878. On 22 October 1877 an explosion tore through Pits No. 2 and No. 3, killing 207 men and boys, the worst mining disaster in Scottish history (see Disasters, below); further fatal accidents followed at the same colliery group on 5 March 1878, when a winding accident at No. 3 pit killed six men, and on 2 July 1879, when a second firedamp explosion at No. 1 pit killed 28. Coal production at Blantyre finally came to a standstill in the first week of August 1957, when the shaft of No. 1 pit partially collapsed; the damage was judged irreparable and the colliery was closed for good.

Closure

Ended in August 1957 after the shaft of No. 1 pit partially collapsed and was found to be beyond economic repair.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Disasters & major incidents

• Blantyre Mining Disaster
  22 October 1877 · Explosion · 207 fatalities
  A firedamp explosion tore through Pits No. 2 and No. 3 of William Dixon's colliery at High Blantyre on the morning of 22 October 1877, killing 207 men and boys -- the worst mining disaster in Scottish history.
• Blantyre Colliery Explosion, 1879
  2 July 1879 · Explosion · 28 fatalities
  A second firedamp explosion at Dixon's Blantyre No. 1 pit, less than two years after the catastrophic 1877 disaster at the same colliery group, killed 28 men and boys.

Recorded claims

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

• Dixon's worked three main pits at High Blantyre (Nos. 1, 2 and 3) plus a fourth pit at Larkfield, producing coal there by 1878. ¹
• Coal production at Blantyre ended in the first week of August 1957 after the shaft of No. 1 pit partially collapsed and was found impossible to repair. ¹

Photographs & further reading

This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.

Sources

1. (secondary) Blantyre Pit Disaster — Blantyre Project
2. (secondary) Blantyre Colliery Explosion - Blantyre - 1879 — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (secondary) Blantyre Colliery Explosion - High Blantyre - 1877 — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (secondary) Blantyre mining disaster — Wikipedia

Record created: 30 August 2026 · Last researched: 30 August 2026