Pumpherston No. 1 Mine

Overview

The Pumpherston Oil Company's first shale mine, driven about 1884 beside the retorts of its new works into the steeply dipping Pumpherston Shales; it collapsed in a creep in 1891 and its workings were abandoned with Nos. 2 and 3 in 1901.

History

Pumpherston No. 1 Mine was the Pumpherston Oil Company's first mine, sited close to the retorts of its new Pumpherston Oil Works, where the five seams of the Pumpherston Shales came to the surface and dipped steeply to the west. At the company's annual meeting in early 1884 the directors reported that a mine had been set off from the surface and pushed forward with all possible speed. It was then fully 20 fathoms down and raising a shale six feet thick from one of the seams, of first-class quality, and was being fitted with powerful machinery. Because it lay right beside the retorts, its shale could pass straight through the breaking machine to the top of the retorts without intermediate handling.

In August 1891 the Glasgow Herald reported a creep at the Pumpherston mines in which No. 1 collapsed completely and others were damaged. Its workings appear ultimately to have joined those of Nos. 2 and 3 Mines, and the combined workings in the Jubilee, Maybrick, Curly, Plain and Wee shales were abandoned in 1901. The site is undeveloped land beside Pumpherston golf course, fenced off after land renewal works.

Geology

The five seams of the Pumpherston Shales (Jubilee, Maybrick, Curly, Plain and Wee), outcropping beside the works and dipping steeply to the west.

Workings

An inclined adit from the outcrop beside the retorts, its shale passing directly to the breakers; the workings appear to have joined those of Pumpherston Nos. 2 and 3 Mines.

Closure

Collapsed in a creep in 1891; the combined workings of Nos. 1, 2 and 3 were abandoned in 1901.

What remains

Undeveloped land beside Pumpherston golf course, fenced off after land renewal works.

Related mines

• Pumpherston Oil Works — No. 1 was the Pumpherston Oil Company's first mine and fed the retorts of its works directly.

Recorded claims

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

• No. 1 was the Pumpherston Oil Company's first mine, sited close to the retorts of Pumpherston Oil Works. ¹
• In early 1884 the mine was fully 20 fathoms down and raising a shale six feet thick. ¹
• A creep in August 1891 collapsed No. 1 completely and damaged other Pumpherston mines. ¹
• The combined workings of Pumpherston Nos. 1, 2 and 3 were abandoned in 1901. ^1,2

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Pumpherston No.1 mine (Scottish Shale, Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry) — Almond Valley Heritage Trust
2. (primary) BGS mine plan: PUMPHERSTON NOS.1 2 3, No.1 Upper or Jubilee seam, abandoned 1901 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

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