Philpstoun No. 1 Mine

Overview

James Ross and Company's principal shale mine beside the retorts of the Philpstoun oil works, worked from 1885 throughout the life of the works and closed in 1931.

History

Philpstoun No. 1 Mine lay close to the retorts of Philpstoun Oil Works, the works of James Ross and Company, and remained in production for the whole active life of the works. It was opened in 1885 and worked the Broxburn Shale. The Philpstoun mines together employed 175 in 1894, 388 in 1910 and 530 in 1920. In 1924 one of its cross-cut mines reached the Broxburn seam at 266 fathoms, where the shale looked well and was to be developed to give better-quality output.

The mine closed in June 1931, and by April 1932 its underground plant had been dismantled and the squad of workmen paid off, leaving a skeleton staff on the surface. Its workings in the Broxburn, Upper Broxburn and Dunnet shales were abandoned in 1932. A new Philpstoun No. 1 was sunk in 1939 at Whitequarries, 1.3 miles to the north-east, which employed 215 in 1948 and 262 in 1954. The original site is wooded waste land, with a concrete plinth near the pithead.

Geology

The Broxburn, Upper Broxburn and Dunnet shales of the Champfleurie and Philpstoun field.

Workings

A mine beside the Philpstoun retorts, with cross-cut mines; one reached the Broxburn seam at 266 fathoms in 1924.

Closure

Closed in June 1931; underground plant dismantled by April 1932 and the workings abandoned in 1932. A second No. 1 Mine was sunk at Whitequarries in 1939.

What remains

Wooded waste land.

A concrete plinth near the pithead site.

Related mines

• Philpstoun No. 6 (Whitequarries) Mine — Both were James Ross and Company's Philpstoun mines; No. 6 was reconstructed in 1940 with a new No. 1 at Whitequarries.
• Philpstoun No. 7 Mine — Both were James Ross and Company mines supplying the Philpstoun Oil Works.

Recorded claims

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

• Philpstoun No. 1 Mine opened in 1885 beside the retorts of Philpstoun Oil Works. ¹
• The Philpstoun mines employed 175 in 1894 and 530 in 1920. ²
• In 1924 a cross-cut mine reached the Broxburn seam at 266 fathoms. ¹
• The mine closed in June 1931 and its workings were abandoned in 1932. ¹
• The abandonment plans of Philpstoun No. 1 in the Broxburn, Upper Broxburn and Dunnet shales are dated 1932. ³

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Philpstoun No. 1 mine (Scottish Shale, Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry) — Almond Valley Heritage Trust
2. (primary) Philpstoun (Oil Shale) (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum
3. (primary) BGS mine plan: PHILPSTOUN NO.1, Broxburn, abandoned 1932 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

Record created: 25 October 2026 · Last researched: 25 October 2026