Pumpherston No. 5 Mine

Location	Pumpherston, Mid Calder parish, West Lothian — 55.9069, -3.4751 (approximate)
Commodity	Oil Shale
Type	Mineral
Worked	1899–1925
Maximum depth	Unknown.
Operators	Pumpherston Oil Company (1899–1925)

Overview

A steeply inclined Pumpherston Oil Company mine in the Dunnet Shale, opened in 1899 and closed in 1925, whose site lies partly under Pumpherston golf course.

A field gate and fence giving onto open grassland of a golf course. — Pumpherston golf course, built on the site of the Pumpherston oil works Anne Burgess, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph

History

Pumpherston No. 5 Mine was opened in 1899 for the Pumpherston Oil Company's works, as a steeply inclined working in the Dunnet Shales, its adit dipping at about 1 in 1.3. Its shale was carried by the tramway that also served Pumpherston No. 3 Mine. It worked the Dunnet seams known as No. 1 or Upper, No. 2 or Gavin, and No. 3 or Lower, and employed 152 in 1915 and 123 in 1920.

In 1925 work stopped and the rails, sleepers and other materials were withdrawn; the miners and drawers were transferred to No. 4 Mine, which was double-shifted, though a few oncost men were left idle. The workings were abandoned in 1925. Part of the site now lies within the golf course built on the Pumpherston oil works, and the rest is wooded waste ground, where building rubble has turned up during ditching.

Geology

The Dunnet Shales: No. 1 or Upper, No. 2 or Gavin, and No. 3 or Lower.

Workings

A steeply inclined adit at about 1 in 1.3; a tramway shared with Pumpherston No. 3 Mine.

Closure

Stopped in 1925, its men moving to No. 4 Mine; workings abandoned the same year.

What remains

Partly within Pumpherston golf course; the rest wooded waste land.

Building rubble.

Related mines

Pumpherston No. 4 Mine — When No. 5 closed in 1925 its miners and drawers were transferred to No. 4.

Nearby mines

Pumpherston No. 1 Mine — 0.5 miles (0.8 km) NW
Roman Camp No. 7 Mine — 0.6 miles (1.0 km) N
Pumpherston No. 4 Mine — 0.8 miles (1.3 km) NW
Roman Camp No. 5 Mine — 0.8 miles (1.3 km) NW
Roman Camp No. 6 Mine — 0.8 miles (1.3 km) N

Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.

Recorded claims

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

Pumpherston No. 5 Mine opened in 1899 as a steeply inclined working in the Dunnet Shales, dipping at about 1 in 1.3. ¹
No. 5 employed 152 in 1915 and 123 in 1920. ²
Work stopped in 1925 and the miners were transferred to No. 4 Mine. ¹
The abandonment plans of Pumpherston No. 5 are dated 1925. ³

Photographs & further reading

Pumpherston No.5 mine (Scottish Shale) (reference)

The Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry's page for this mine, with maps, plans, site photographs and newspaper extracts.

View source

Sources

(secondary) Pumpherston No.5 mine (Scottish Shale, Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry) — Almond Valley Heritage Trust
(primary) Pumpherston (Oil Shale) (Durham Mining Museum) — Durham Mining Museum
(primary) BGS mine plan: PUMPHERSTON NO.5, Upper Dunnet and Gavin, abandoned 1925 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

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