Almost all coal burned in Dublin came from Lowther’s Whitehaven mines.  But in the 1600s and 1700s the Lowther’s monopoly was being threatened. The nearby harbour at Parton had been improved in the 1670s & was starting to ship coal out.

Sir James Lowther responded by increasing production.  He ordered the sinking of Saltom Pit in 1729 and developing undersea mining. He also planned to build his own harbour in Saltom Bay to avoid paying Whitehaven Harbour dues.  Coal would go direct from the pit-head to the waiting ships.

Lowther’s Saltom workers built a pier and staith in Saltom Bay. They completed the construction in 1732, but Saltom’s exposed site made it too dangerous to use. Colliery records show just two shipments of coal - in November 1735 and June 1736. By 1738 the pier had been almost abandoned after storm damage.   Today all that remain are the holes in the rocks for the pier supports.

Until 1848, coal from Saltom was trammed through a tunnel to Ravenhill pit for lifting to the cliff top. The Lowthers had to continue paying Whitehaven harbour dues.