Mining in West Lothian

A directory of collieries, pits, mines and quarries in West Lothian, where coal and minerals (other than shale) were once worked. This section is under active development is very far fom complete.

Information about a particular colliery or shaft can be found by browsing the map and clicking on a marker, or you can select from the list in the side menu, or search by name. The search field includes alternative names and popular names of collieries and shaft as it was not unusual for names to change over the course of time.

Parish:

The record for each pit will provide a link to the estate in which it is sited, which provides an overview of mineral operations and lists all pits within those boundaries. Records will also list ownership of a pit which may provide a description of the company and their other property. Some pages may also link to a regional overview which provides additional information about pits of a similar type.

The information presented in these pages is not an official record and is present solely as an aid to understanding the history of our local area. No guarantee can be given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. All enquiries regarding official records of former mining activity, or assessment of specific sites, need to be addressed to The Coal Authority.

Newspaper articles providing general descriptions of mining areas

A01158 - Discovery of Valuable Minerals (in Armadale), Falkirk Herald 19th August 1852

A01157 - Visit to Torbanehill, Montrose Review 30th October 1857 and 13th November 1857

A01152 - The Modern History of the Bathgate Mines - Linlithgowshire Gazette 14th March 1902

A01154 - Collieries belonging to Gavin Paul & Sons Ltd - West Lothian Courier, 21st March 1902

A01153 - Balbardie Colliery Co. Ltd, - a retrospective - Linlithgowshire Gazette, 18th May 1906

A01155 - The Old Pits of Bathgate - West Lothian Courier, 18th May 1906

A01156 - Mining in Armadale - from Armadale Past and Present by R. Hynd-Brown, Linlithgowshire Gazette, 1st June 1906

Simplified geological map of the mineral districts of West Lothian

Simplified geological map of the mineral districts of West Lothian derived from the BGS Geology Reader, courtesy of British Geological Survey

Scottish Middle Coal Measures Formation - Sedimentary bedrock formed between 318 and 315.2 million years ago
Scottish Lower Coal Measures Formation - Sedimentary bedrock formed between 319 and 318 million years ago
Passage Formation - Sedimentary bedrock formed between 328 and 318 million years ago
Upper Limestone Formation - Sedimentary bedrock formed between 329 and 324 million years ago
Limestone Coal Formation - Sedimentary bedrock formed between 329 and 328 million years ago
Lower Limestone Formation - Sedimentary bedrock formed between 330.9 and 328 million years ago
Hopetoun Member - Sedimentary bedrock formed between 337 and 329 million years ago, containing seams of oilshale.
Calders Member - Sedimentary bedrock formed between 337 and 330.9 million years ago, containing some seams of oilshale
Dinantian To Westphalian Sills - Igneous bedrock formed between 358.9 and 308 million years ago
Bathgate Hills Volcanic Formation - Basalt. Igneous bedrock formed between 337 and 324 million years ago
Kinnesswood Formation - Sandstone. Sedimentary bedrock formed between 382.7 and 346.7 million years ago

In very general terms, the rocks underlying West Lothian get progressively younger as you move westwards. Seams of oil shale underlie much of the eastern part of the county, while in the west, the younger rocks of the Central Scottish coalfield extend all the way to Glasgow. These different geologies meet along a north-south line that passes through the Bathgate, however it is a gradual transition. There are seams of poor quality coal among the seams of oil shale, while shale-like cannel coal occurs within the coal measures. Also within this area of transition there are seams of fireclay, limestone, ironstone that add to the county's mineral wealth and supported an extensive and diverse mining industry.

Filter by type: Coal - Boghead Coal - Ironstone - Fireclay - Limestone - Coal pits pre 1855 - Coal pits post 1947

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