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Forth Ironworks No.1 Pit [Gin Pit]

Over Inzievar, Oakley, Fife.

Mine (ironstone), 19th Century.

The abandonment plan shows an 11 fathoms [20m] shaft at the southern end of a mine with a passage layout that resembles a leaf in plan view (c. 60 m-long midrib). The shaft is now buried below agricultural ground.

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The extensive Over Inzievar workings can be best described as being separated into two primary and extensive sub-areas, referred to here as the Eastern & Western Workings for convenience. The Eastern Workings were the first to be mined (at or prior to 1859) and underlie the northern half of the fields to the N & NW of Birch Cottage. The 'Forth Ironworks No.1' and 'Oakley No.2' pits were the access points to this section at its E and W ends, respectively.

The Western Workings completely encircle the Over Inzievar farmhouse (that was spared from undermining) and extend W to the western boundary of the Lands of Inzievar (approx. 250m W of the Over Inzievar farmhouse), and E to a point just short of 'Oakley No.2 Pit'. The mine abandonment plan suggest that this area was exploited from 1870-1874, and accessed via the Oakley No.3 & No.4 pits.

A secondary 'SE Workings' is present under the fields at NT 015 882, this being an outlying ironstone section that appears to have been accessed via an extension of the short coal workings of 'Oakley No.2' (coal section terminated immediately S of the Oakley to Valleyfield road, passage later extended to SE to provide access tunnel).

The Inzievar estate was first developed by the Summerlee Iron and Coal Company (of Coatbridge), & later by the Shotts Iron Company. The Inzievar (or Blairhall) Blackband Ironstone was located above the Blairhall Main Coal and below an excellent quality coal that was also worked. A shallow parrot coal was also extracted from Pit No.2.

Alternative Names: Inzievar Old Pit, Gin Pit

Notes: Marked on 1st Ed. OS map as 'Ironstone Pit'.

The boundary between the fields and woods here is a relic of the boundary between the lands of Inzievar & Oakley respectively. This limited the northern extent of the Inzievar iron workings due to owners holding mineral rights for the Inzievar lands only.

Given 8 fig. coordinates derived from BGS / OS georef' tool (using geol' map). Given length is approx., based on c.675ft [205m] composite length measured from abandonment plan.