Philpstoun, Shale-oil Works

NT07NE 47.00 0545 7695

NT07NE 47.01 NT 056 766 Shale Bing

NT07NE 47.02 NT 0500 7532 to NT 0542 7698 Mineral Railway

The Philipstoun Oil Works is not depicted on the 1st edition of the OS 6-inch map (Linlithgowshire 1856, sheet 6) in an area to the N of the Union Canal (NT07NE 57.00) about 500m SW of Old Philipstoun.

By the date of the 2nd edition (Linlithgowshire, 1897, sheet vi), the works are depicted occupying an area of about 6.00 hectares and connected to the main Edinburgh to Glasgow railway at Philipstoun Station (NT 0547 7710). Three long roofed buildings are shown along with several others plus a series of tanks.

The works are at the N end of a mineral railway which ran to a 'Shale Pit' at NT 0464 7534 (on map sheet NT07NW), and the shale bing (spoil heap) was, at this date, only extant to the N of the canal. At the date of the OS Revision, c.1915, the 25-inch map shows that the works had expanded considerably to 6.40 hectares and included Shale Mine No.1. An additional spoil heap with tramway to the S of the canal on the site of the former Philipstoun Loch is also shown. Later editions of the OS maps show that the works had been demolished and most of the buildings removed leaving only the spoil heaps and the course of the mineral railway.

The current OS 1:2500 scale digital map depicts only the spoil heaps and the course of the mineral railway shown as a 'track' reveal the remains of the site.

Information from RCAHMS (DE), December 2005