Champfleurie Oil Works

A large-scale enterprise, inspired by the success of the Broxburn Oil Company Ltd, and equipped with crude oil works, refinery and a candle plant. The Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd struggled for profitability throughout its short life. The works were initially equipped, in part, with outdated Henderson retorts, the quality of local shales seldom reached expectation, and by the time the works were opened, market conditions were poor. The refinery processed crude oil from many of the smaller crude oil producers such as the Holmes Oil Company Ltd, the Hermand Oil Company Ltd and the New Hermand Oil Company Ltd. The company was wound-up in 1902.

See information about the railways that served the works.

25" OS map c.1896., courtesy National Library of Scotland

Rateable value by year

Date	Rateable Value	Owner	Occupier	Notes
1884	£150	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	In course of erection
1885	£1600	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd
1886	£5235	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd
1887	£5388	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd
1888-89	£5750	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd
1890-92	£5000	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd
1893	£4500			Name changed to Bridgend Oil Works
1894-96	£4500	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Refinery & Candle Works
1897-98	£4170	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Refinery & Candle Works
1899-1900	£3770	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Refinery & Candle Works
1901	£10100	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Refinery & Candle Works
1902	£4000	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Refinery & Candle Works
1903	£100	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Linlithgow Oil Company Ltd	Refinery & Candle Works
NO FURTHER ENTIRES - In Liquidation

Location map

Detailed maps

Recent images

Looking north east. June 2011.

Looking south east. June 2011.

June 2011.

Newspaper references

ATTEMPT TO WRECK A TRAIN

At Linlithgow Sheriff Court on Wednesday – before Sheriff Substitute Macleod, two labourers, names Michael Conner and Frank Douglas, were charged with having, on 18th inst., placed a large stone on the mineral railway at Champfleurie, with the intention of throwing the workmen's train off the rails. The stone was placed between the rails at a narrow part of a bridge where the railway crosses a stream, and in such a position as to make an accident seem almost inevitable. The train has just ascended an incline, and was getting up speed when it struck the stone, and while no serious damage was done, the engine had a miraculous escape. They pleaded not guilty, but were convicted on evidence, and sentenced to 60 days' imprisonment each, with hard labour. The Sheriff said he did not think that the accused had intended to injure any one by what they did. It looked more like a drunken joke, but a line of railway was not a place for practising jokes of this kind, because the consequences might have been very serious.

Falkirk Herald, 29th July 1899

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• 194684-1 - Original Leases and Terminations for Albyn Works and Gas Works (Earl of Buchan). No 1. Plan of Linlithgow Oil Works - Extracted from a bundle of documents, drawings, leases and reports original tied together and now separated and listed separately as analytics. Undated paper blueprint plan of the Linlithgow Oil Company Oil Works measuring about 1080mm x 750mm with scale of 2 1/2"=100'. Only date given is a handwritten note indicated the drawing was photographed on 13th November 95. Heavily folded document in fragile condition. The plan shows all features of Linlithgow Oil Works including the paraffin sheds, the retorts, the candleworks, pumping station, Champfleurie No. 1 mine and Ochiltree No. 2 mine.
  
• 194684-4 - Original Leases and Terminations for Albyn Works and Gas Works (Earl of Buchan). No 4. Linlithgow Oil Company, Retort Bench (proposed) - Extracted from a bundle of documents, drawings, leases and reports original tied together and now separated and listed separately as analytics. Paper blueprint drawing of the Linlithgow Oil Company, Retort Bench (proposed), measuring approx 750mm x 800mm at a scale of 3/8=1 foot dated the 11th March, 1901. Prepared by A.F. Craig and Co. Ltd, Paisley. The drawing shows a side elevation of a shale retort and is labelled 'Proposed Bench for Linlithgow Oil Company'.