Scottish shale Scottish shale

Cobbinshaw South Oil Works

Parish:
West Calder, Midlothian
Local authority:
West Lothian
Hugh Rose
Opened:
Brickworks built c.1870, oil works c.1873
Closed:
Oil works presumably demolished c. 1877, Brickworks, c. 1880
Current status of site:
Rough grazing. Some landform of the brickworks can still be discerned

cobbinshawsouthworks500.jpg

Redwood notes that the oil works of Brand & Hislop operated between 1869 and 1871. It appears from valuation records that the oil works and brickworks shared the same site. David Kerr (in his booklet "Tarbrax: a shale-oil industry village" , 2002) quotes from an unnamed source that " the works had 20 vertical and 72 horizontal shale retorts, linked to a shale mine by an 800 yard-long endless chain".

The creation in 1884 of a new company, The South Cobbinshaw Fireclay & Brick Company Ltd, to re-start the brickworks, appears to have made little progress. The village of South Cobbinshaw was constructed to serve the oil works.

No OS map records the oil works in operation and their precise location remains unclear. It seems probably however that the brickworks and oil works shared the same site. The oil works were served by Cobbinshaw South No.1 pit, which mine plans show to be located immediately to the north of the mineral railway. Rectangular outline of brick kilns remain clearly visible in aerial views, while the adjacent body of water seems likely to be a flooded quarry from which brick clay was extracted.

Mapped by the Ordnance Survey of c.1895, showing derelict brickworks.

  • Rateable value by year
    • Date Rateable Value Owner Occupier Notes
      1870 £45 South Cobbinshaw Oil Company South Cobbinshaw Oil Company Per J Hislop
      South Cobbinshaw Oil Company South Cobbinshaw Oil Company Brickwork
      1871 £172 South Cobbinshaw Oil Company South Cobbinshaw Oil Company
      South Cobbinshaw Oil Company South Cobbinshaw Oil Company Brickwork
      1872 £491 South Cobbinshaw Oil Company South Cobbinshaw Oil Company Hugh Rose
      James Falshaw Partnership
      J Hislop
      1872 £75 Jonathan Hislop Jonathan Hislop Brickwork
      1873 £491 South Cobbinshaw Oil Company South Cobbinshaw Oil Company Oil works
      1873 £100 Hugh Rose, J Falshaw, J Hislop Hugh Rose, J Falshaw, J Hislop Brickworks
      1874 £400 South Cobbinshaw Oil Company South Cobbinshaw Oil Company
      1874 £100 Hugh Rose, J Falshaw, J Hislop Hugh Rose, J Falshaw, J Hislop
      1875 £350 South Cobbinshaw Oil Company South Cobbinshaw Oil Company Unlet
      £100 Hugh Rose, J Falshaw, J Hislop Hugh Rose, J Falshaw, J Hislop Brickworks
      1876 £50 South Cobbinshaw Oil Company South Cobbinshaw Oil Company Unlet
      £120 Hugh Rose, J Falshaw, J Hislop Hugh Rose, J Falshaw, J Hislop Brickworks
      1877 -- Oil Works - NO FURTHER ENTRIES
      £120 Hugh Rose Hugh Rose Brickworks
      1878-79 £150 Hugh Rose Hugh Rose Brickworks
      1880-81 £50 Hugh Rose Hugh Rose Brickworks
      NO FURTHER ENTRIES
  • Location map
  • Detailed maps
  • Recent images

  • Recent images - general
  • Recent images - bricks
  • Newspaper references
    • BRICKS.- Good Composition at South Cobinshaw Oil Works, Auchengray. - Apply at the Works; or at J. Hyslop, Wishaw.

      Glasgow Herald, 6th August 1872

      .......

      WANTED AT SOUTH COBINSHAW OIL WORKS, AUCHENGRAY. Brickwork Manager thoroughly up in Composition and Fire-Clay Coals. Estimate for the Erection of extensive wooden sheds and roofing. Apply at the Works, or to J. Hyslop. Wishaw.

      Hamilton Advertiser, 7th September 1872

      .......

      WANTED, 2000 yards B.B. 7/16ths Short-link Tested Chain. – State price delivered to J. Hyslop. South Cobinshaw, Auchengray.

      Glasgow Herald, 9th January 1874

      .......

      Contractors Wanted to drive levels and a heading in shale – Apply to A. Littlejohn, South Cobinshaw Oil Works, Auchengray.

      Hamilton Advertiser, 22nd March 1873

      .......

      BLAKE'S STONE BREAKER 24" x 12" (quite new) with direct-acting engine, - Apply J. Hyslop, South Cobbinshaw, Auchengray.

      Glasgow Herald, 8th December 1874

      .......

      To SHALE OIL MANUFACTURERS AND OTHERS.- For SALE, MACHINERY and PLANT at COBBINSHAW comprising Winding and Pumping Engines, Shale Breaker, Retorts and Condensers, Pit-Rails, Hutches, &c. Apply to Mr. MILLER, C.E., 2 South St. David Street.

      Glasgow Herald, 5th May 1875

      .......

      TO LET, SOUTH COBBINSHAW BRICKWORKS near AUCHENGRAY. They are of modern-construction , and fitted with Machinery capable of making 10,000 Bricks per day ready for the Kiln. The Bricks are of well-known first-class quality, and have been largely used in Railway and Sewage Works. The Clay and Marl are nearly 30 feet thick, and are well adapted for Sanitary Pipes, for which there is ample Store accommodation. For full particulars apply to JOHN FYFE, 7 West George Street Glasgow.

      Scotsman, 28th October 1881

      .......

      EXTENSIVE SALE OF BRICKWORK PLANT and MOVEABLE MACHINERY At SOUTH COBBINSHAW. Belonging to the South Cobbinshaw Fireclay and Brick Company (Limited) in Liquidation, On THURSDAY, the 28th April, at Half-past Twelve o'clock. LYON & TURNBULL are favoured with instruction to dispose of by Public Auction THE WHOLE WORKING PLANT, MACHINERY, and TOOLS, consisting of One TWO-FLUED STEAM BOILER, 17fr by 6ft 3 with furnaces. &c. Two EGG_END STEAM BOILERS, 30 ft. by 5 ft. 6, with Safety and Regulating Valves, Furnace Bars, Dampers, &c, to work to 80 lb. pressure. Two EGG END STEAM BOILERS, about 27ft by 5ft 6. HORIZONTAL HIGH-PRESSURE STEAM-ENGINE, 15 in Cylinder, 3ft 6in Stroke, with Feeding Pump, Eccentric and Reversing Gear: about 360 Yards, MAIN RAILWAY SIDING to Caledonian Railway. Two 8ft PAN MILLS, Riddle Bottoms, Scrapers, Upright and Horizontal Shafts. &c. HAND and POWER VERTICAL BORING MACHINE. STEAM DONKEY PUMP, by Cameron, 5 in. Cylinder, 3 in Plunger 6 in Stroke, Fly-Wheel, Iron Pipers, &c. WATER TANKS, Steam and Water Pipes, Malleable Iron Boggies, Cast iron Platform. Malleable Iron Funnel, 34 ft. by 2 ft., others of smaller size: Smithy Fire Irons, PORTABLE SWIVEL CRANE, Furnace Doors and Binders, about 800 feet of Service rial for Carts and Boggies, large Quantity Cast-Iron Platform Plates, Old Chairs, Anvils, Leather, Rubber and Canvas Beltings; Office Furniture, Milner's Fireproof Safe &c. Particulars in Catalogues which will be forwarded to applicants.

      Scotsman, 7th April 1888