Broxburn by the Bings

First time visitors to Broxburn - and indeed several other towns in West Lothian - could be excused for wondering about the origin of red 'hills' that are very much part of the landscape.

Known locally as 'bings', these are relics of a once thriving shale mining industry that was almost unique to West Lothian. One local radio station always used to refer to the town as 'Broxburn by the Bings'!!

From the mid 19th century, oil was extracted from the shale and shale 'bings' are the waste product, simply dumped at the end of the process. Hard to believe today of course, but a different set of rules applied back then.

In the distant past, some shale was used in road building and today, many have been landscaped to look like natural hills.

Almond Valley Heretage Centre in Livingston holds an extensive collection relating to the industry which finally closed in 1962, falling foul of cheaper oil imports.