Philpstoun No. 6 (Whitequarries) Mine

Overview

James Ross and Company's showcase shale mine at Whitequarries on the Hopetoun estate, opened in 1909 with electric winding and haulage, closed in 1932, reopened in 1940 and worked until the end of the Scottish shale industry in 1962.

History

Philpstoun No. 6, the Whitequarries Mine, was opened in 1909 in a secluded, wooded part of the Hopetoun estate as James Ross and Company's showcase mine, with elegant office buildings. It worked the Dunnet Shale through an inclined adit cut on a gradient, which visitors likened to a scenic railway, and had electric haulage throughout and electric winders of 100 and 350 horsepower. A party from the Scottish Motor Trade Association toured it to follow 'Ross Petrol' from the shale face to the two-gallon can. In 1910 a farmer's sheep was found alive after eight days in a hole opened by a fall in its workings.

No. 6 was abandoned in 1932 with the closure of the Philpstoun works. In 1940 it was reconstructed together with a new Philpstoun No. 1 Mine, and the shale from both was taken by electric tramway to the Niddry Castle crude oil works, and later to Westwood. It employed 140 in 1948 and 131 in 1954, and stayed in production until the end of the shale industry, its workings being abandoned in 1962. The office and some other surface buildings survive as industrial units.

Geology

The Dunnet Shale of the Champfleurie and Philpstoun field.

Workings

An inclined adit with electric haulage and electric winders of 100 and 350 hp; from 1940 an electric tramway to Niddry Castle crude oil works.

Closure

Closed in 1932 with the Philpstoun works; reconstructed and reopened in 1940; workings finally abandoned in 1962.

What remains

Office and other surface buildings in use as industrial units.

The mine office and other surface buildings.

Related mines

• Philpstoun No. 1 Mine — Both were James Ross and Company's Philpstoun mines; No. 6 was reconstructed in 1940 with a new No. 1 at Whitequarries.

Recorded claims

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

• Philpstoun No. 6 (Whitequarries) Mine opened in 1909 as James Ross and Company's showcase mine. ¹
• It had electric haulage throughout and electric winders of 100 and 350 horsepower. ¹
• Abandoned in 1932, it was reconstructed and reopened in 1940. ¹
• No. 6 employed 140 in 1948 and 131 in 1954. ²
• Its workings were finally abandoned in 1962. ¹
• An abandonment plan of Philpstoun No. 6 in the Dunnet shale is dated 1932. ³

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Philpstoun No. 6 (Whitequarries) 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.6, Dunnet, abandoned 1932 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

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