The Shale Oil Works and Village, Binnend

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The Burntisland Shale Oil Works operated at Binnend from 1878 to 1894. The village which was built in 1881 to house the employees had a much longer existence, for it was not until 1954 that the last inhabitant left. It is therefore the village which lives on in the memories of those whose home it was, or who holidayed there. We hope the following pages do justice to a fascinating story.

The Burntisland Oil Works
The history of the works, with a unique photograph and a detailed map.

The Village at Binnend
Also known as the Binn Village, or the High Binn and the Low Binn. The text and accompanying photos trace the story of the village from 1881 to 1954.

Memories of the Binn Village
Reminiscences from members of families who lived there.

Annie Christie's Binn Village photos
A superb collection of four old photos of the Binn Village, its people, and its shop. The photos are from the collection of the late Annie Christie.

Sources: The main sources for historical information were "The Binnend Oilworks and the Binn Village" by Walter Stephen (c1968) and "Glimpses of Modern Burntisland" by William Erskine (c1930). Full details of both are in the Bibliography.

External links: Stephen Fisk has created a series of pages on Binnend on his Abandoned Communities website - well worth a visit. The Museum of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry is based near Livingston, West Lothian.

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