Broxburn Co-operatives

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Broxburn and Uphall are two villages that were in the Strathbrock estate. Uphall, formed around the castle and church, was original known as Wester Stathbrock. Broxburn, formed around the mill and the farmland further east, was originally known as Easter Strahbrock. The two settlements had their modern name by 1700, with Broxburn named after the Brox Burn.

Broxburn's initial developement was as the first stage on the Edinburgh to Glasgow road and, with the arrival of the Union Canal, a stage for that. There had been mining in the area for a couple of centuries. In 1859 Robert Bell obtained the mineral rights in the Broxburn area to mine coal and ironstone. He shortly afterwards found oil rich shale. The first oil works were set up in 1862. Development was slow and not very successful until the Broxburn Oil Company was set up in 1877. The built the Broxburn Works to extract and refine shale oil in 1878 and continued to extend it to about three times it's original size. In 1892 they opened a second works, the Roman Camp Works. Other smaller works opened nearby were the that of the Holmes Oil Company, which produced crude oil, and the Uphall Oil Company, which refined crude oil.

In 1920, the Pumpherston, Broxburn, Oakbank and Philpstoun works merged with Youngs Oil Company to form Scottish Oils Ltd with Middleton Hall in Uphall becoming the company's headquarters. The crude oil works and the refinery at Broxburn both closed around 1925, with the crude oil works demolished in 1937 and the refinery in 1960. In the early 1960s the staff of Scottish Oils were transferred to Grangemouth Refinery or made redundant. Around this time MOtherwell Bridge Thermal obtained the former workshops of Scottish Oils Ltd. This operation closed with the 1993 downturn in the oil and gas industry.

The two villages of Uphall and Broxburn have grown together and continue to expand, with both local industry and a significant commutor population.

BROXBURN CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY 1879-1969

The society was formed in 1879. The managing director of the Broxburn Oil Company was also for many years the chairman of the Local Authority and promoted developement in Broxburn. The company built a store for the society on a site at Greendykes Road, Broxburn. A fire in December 1920 consumed the store. The next day the society set up a temporary shop in the Public Hall and obtained a new permanent premises in early 1921 - the former Cardross Hotel building. The society moved again in 1929 to premises on the Main Street.

The society united with Bathgate in 1969 to form West Lothian with it's head office in Bathgate.

BROXBURN CO-OP SOC LIMITED
File:BroxbCoop.H.jpg
	Source	(DRR)
	Filename	BroxbCoop.H
	Value	½d
	Add Desc.
	Size (mm)	22
	Manufacture	Plated Iron Bracteate
	Notes

BROXBURN CO-OP SOCY LIMITED
File:BroxbCoop.3.jpg
	Source	(DRR)
	Filename	BroxbCoop.3
	Value	3d
	Add Desc.
	Size (mm)	27
	Manufacture	Plated Iron Bracteate
	Notes