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Westwood No.12 Pit

Five Sisters, Livingston, West Lothian.

Mine (Shale), 19th Century.

"Worked in association with Westwood No. 13, both pits were in operation prior to 1870 and continued to be worked into the 1880's. Both were served by a branch of the Addiewell and Polbeth railway, crossing the Breich Water by viaduct." [Scottish Shale]

Shaft now well buried under the most southeasterly lobe of the Five Sisters (aka Westwood) bing. This 20th Century bing is not related to this pit, and has covered a previous smaller bing that is depicted on old OS maps (see Geol. Survey map background layer).

"The characteristic of Five Sisters red colour is produced by the weathering of the initially blue-grey burnt oil-shale. This waste is non-toxic, alkaline and freely draining; in addition the particles are more cohesive than in coal waste. Variations in the chemical composition of the different bings produce a wide range of habitats and new niches for plants and animals. The "Five Sisters" are such a significant part of the industrial heritage of West Lothian that they are now protected as a Scheduled Monument." [W Lothian Council]

"Beginning during World War Two, the two outer bings were first to be formed, set at about 60 degrees to each other and defining the limits of the tip. The southernmost bing buried the heap of mine waste from the old Westwood No. 12 pit. By the early 1950's the rails had been removed from the outer bings and tipping begun to fill the space between the two outer "sisters". Two long tips were formed merging with the outer bings, with a short stubby fifth bing extending between them. When Westwood oil works closed in 1962, marking the end of the Scottish shale industry, the middle sister still retained space to grow" [Scottish Shale]

Alternative Names: The Five Sisters, Five Sisters Bing

Notes: Geol. Survey map states: F.S 19 1/2 fms [Fells Shale at 35m]. Scottish Shale website states 24 fms.

"The Sisters remain in private ownership, and access is discouraged. Without hikers boots or swarms of trail bikes they grow a denser cloak of grass and shrub every year. Athletic cattle sometimes find their way up the lower levels of the bing in search of rare and tasty vegetation, but seem to do little damage" [Scottish Shale]