Public access has not been confirmed. This is a historical location, not a visitor entrance. The museum reports that the surface remains have gone; do not expect a preserved pithead.
Read the information we checked ↗ · checked 2026-09-13
Use public paths and visitor areas. Do not enter unstaffed tunnels, shafts, railway land or restricted property.
Advice before you visitInformation checked 2026-09-13. We checked published records and visitor information. No site visit or direct confirmation from the operator.
A pit linked to a wider industry
Historic Environment Scotland records Torbanehill No.3 as a coal and ironstone mine with a tramway. The entry gives it the reference NS96NE 31.03. These details tell us about its former uses, but do not confirm what can be seen today.
An old plan held by National Records of Scotland brings several Torbanehill pits together. The archive’s description mentions numbered pits, boreholes and underground workings. We have read that description, but have not examined the plan itself.
- Historic Environment Scotland — Torbanehill Coal Pit No.3, 100017 ↗ · reviewed 2026-09-13
- National Records of Scotland — Torbanehill mineral workings, RHP420 ↗ · reviewed 2026-09-13
What remains today?
The Scottish Shale museum account puts the opening at around 1852 and leaves the closing date uncertain. It reports that opencast mining around 1990 removed the surface remains. We have not visited the site to check its present condition.
The detailed Trove page was unavailable during our research. We used the previously downloaded Historic Environment Scotland record and the museum text available through a search engine. Public access remains unconfirmed. Our Torbanehill story suggests museums where you can learn more about the industry.
- Scottish Shale — Torbanehill No.3 pit ↗ · reviewed 2026-09-13
- Historic Environment Scotland — Torbanehill Coal Pit No.3, 100017 ↗ · reviewed 2026-09-13
What we still need to check
We have not visited the site or confirmed permission to enter. The dates are approximate. The museum reports that the surface remains have gone, but we have not checked this in person. Its text was available through a search engine; the full page and detailed Trove entry could not be opened.
Sources for the visiting information
- Scottish Shale — Torbanehill No.3 pit ↗ · reviewed 2026-09-13
About the original record
This place is recorded by Historic Environment Scotland — NRHE. The details below include the original description of its building or site type.
Place details
- Category
- Industrial relics
- Building or site type (original wording)
- COLLIERY (PERIOD UNASSIGNED), IRONSTONE MINE (PERIOD UNASSIGNED), TRAMWAY (MODERN)
- Period or date
- Approximately 1852; closure uncertain
- Current condition
- Not checked in person
- Heritage protection
- Not given in this record
- Date protection was granted
- Not given
- Nearby town
- Livingston (approximate)
- County named in the original record
- WEST LOTHIAN
- Current county or council area
- West Lothian
- Nation
- Scotland
- Original record number
- 100017
- Coordinates
- 55.88169, -3.66726 (reference point, not an entrance)
- Heritage data checked
- 2026-09-13
- Source last updated
- 2002-04-30
- Visitor information checked
- 2026-09-13
We checked the downloaded heritage record on 2026-09-13. We have not visited or inspected the site. The map point may refer to a whole site, one structure or a location where little remains.