Grace's Guide To British Industrial History

Registered UK Charity (No. 115342)

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 166,728 pages of information and 246,591 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 147,919 pages of information and 233,587 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.

Broxburn Oil Co

From Graces Guide
Display case at the National Museum of Scotland

of 28 Royal Exchange Square, Glasgow, and Broxburn or Albion Oil Works

1877 The company was established by Robert Bell with the assistance of William Kennedy and was registered on 6 November. [1]

1878 Albion Works established in the middle of the shale field. Products were sulphate of ammonia; coke; naphtha; burning oils; lubricating oils; match paraffin; paraffin wax; and paraffin candles.

1887 There were about 800 retorts, capable of distilling 1,000 tons of shale a day; and a refinery to refine all the oil and wax, about 10 million gallons of crude oil per annum. Over 1,600 men were employed at the works.

1888 Visit to Broxburn Oil Works by members of the Iron and Steel Institute; the visitors were conducted around the works by Mr. Bell, the chairman of the company; Mr. W. Kenner, the managing director; Mr. N. M. Henderson, the manager; and Mr. D. R. Stewart, the chemist of the works.[2]

c.1894 The company erected crude oil works on Drumshoreland Moor, two miles from Albion, to take advantage of the local seams of shales. It became known as the Roman Camp Works. A railway line was built between the two works.

1897 Visit by the Federated Institution of Mining Engineers to the Albion Works; the refinery handled about 1400 tons of oil shale daily, producing about 13,500,000 gallons of crude oil annually. The refinery used about 400 tons per day [3]

1919 Incorporated in the new company, Scottish Oils, formed to acquire the shale oil companies[4]

See Also

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Sources of Information

  1. The Stock Exchange Year Book 1908
  2. The Engineer 1888/08/31
  3. The Engineer 1897/09/17 The Engineer 1897/10/01
  4. The Times Sep 13, 1919