Stewartfield No.1 mine

Inclined adit, about 1 in 15

Serving Broxburn Oil Works

The history of the shale workings in the Stewartfield area is unclear. It appears that Stewartfield No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 Pits were early, shallow shafts that were ultimately linked up underground. Stewartfield No. 1 and No. 2 mines were subsequently developed, following the seam of Broxburn Shale from its outcrop close to Broxburn Oil Works, linking existing workings, and providing access to the most distant reserves.

Stewartfield No. 1 Mine exploited Broxburn Shale reserves lying to the south west of Broxburn Oil Works by means of a long roadway through earlier shale workings. Hutches of shale would emerge from the adit into an area of opencast working and hauled onto staging (also serving No. 2 Mine) before crossing the canal to Broxburn Oil Works.

Mineral statistics of 1883 record the Stewartfield No.1 mine worked the 4.5 ft Broxburn shale by stoop and room, employed 8 on the surface and 86 underground, under the management of Alex Kennedy. The down and upcast shafts were 10x8 and 9x6 respectively with a depth of 78 ft. The non-fiery workings were ventilated by fan.

Records for 1884 note that the workings were served by a fan at No.3 Stewartfield.

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