Seafield No.1 mine

Inclined shaft at a gradient of 1 in 2

Serving Seafield Crude Oil Works

Substantial workings served by two parallel roadways entering the ground close to the outcrop of the Fells Shale and heading WNW. The 1896 OS map shows the western-most of these roads, labelled "Shale Mine No. 1", serving a staging with waste-tip and an incline to the top of the nearby retorts. The second road is labelled "old mine" and was presumably disused; this might have been Seafield No. 2 Mine.

It might be supposed that this was the main mine of the ill-fated Bathgate Oil Company Ltd, and remained in operation following purchase of the derelict site by the Pumpherston Oil Company Ltd.

Mineral statistics for 1883 lists Seafield mine of the Bathgate Oil Co, Ltd as under development, naming Jas Ross as certified manager. The 1884 report names the workings as Seafield No.1 mine, exploiting a 3ft seam of Fells shale by the longwall method. 13 were employed above and 45 below ground, managed by W.V. Turnbull. The downcast shaft measured10x7ft and was 312 ft deep, the upcast 6.5x4.5 ft. and 30 ft deep. The mine was considered non-firery, was ventilated by a 14' fan, and dipped at a gradient of 1 in 2.

Shale-field: Cousland and Seafield shale-field.

Mapped by the Ordnance Survey of c.1897 showing the mine in operation and two adits marked as "old mine".

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