Union Canal Bridge 39, Philpstoun, West Lothian, Scotland

Union Canal Bridge 39

This picture of Bridge 39 on the Union Canal is for sale.

It comes as a canvas, a framed print, a framed mounted print or an acrylic.

Why not take a look at my other pictures of West Lothian.

Philpstoun Bing towers over Bridge 39 on the Union Canal, in West Lothian.

The bing grew from nothing at the end of the 19th century as a spoil heap for Philpstoun Oil Works. The Oil Works started production of shale oil in 1883 and closed in 1931, leaving this huge shale bing as surviving evidence of the industry. 87 years later, the bing, composed of shale that has been processed to produce oil, is a scheduled monument, and has become a haven for wildlife.

These bings pepper the landscape of West Lothian as the county is built on a thick layer of oil shale. When James Young perfected the process of refining the shale to produce oil in 1850, numerous nineteenth century industrialists set up in the area, putting West Lothian at the heart of Scotland's first oil boom.