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Easter Breich No.1 Pit

Easter Breich, West Calder, West Lothian.

Mine (Oil Shale), ca. 1878-92.

"Serving Breich Oil Works, previously the shale was sold to other companies. Thomas and James Thornton seem to have started mining at Easter Breich in c.1878, supplying shale to Young's Paraffin Light & Mineral Oil Company and probably other oil companies. Following creation of the Hermand Oil Company Ltd, of which James Thornton was a director, output from Easter Breich was transported to Breich Oil Works by a tramway running parallel to the West Calder loop line. Houston Coal was worked at the nearby Easter Breich Coal Mine. Mapped by the Ordnance Survey of c.1897 appears to show the pits in a derelict condition." [Scottish Shale]

Shaft site now occupied by woodland.

Alternative Names: None recorded.

Notes: Given coordinates derived from BGS GeoIndex. Distance from NE to SW extremities of the worked area is ca. 800m, with No.1 shaft situated near SE margin.