History of the Gwent Collieries

Mr J. P. D. Williams M.E. – General Manager of the Blaina Collieries. Mr J. P. D. Williams was born in 1834 at Nantyglo, Monmouthshire. His family lived on the Garn, Nantyglo and at 11 years of age he started work in the coalmines. His first job was in the “Little Pit” Blaina, under his brother-in-law Mr Thomas Lewis the …

Cwmtillery Colliery Experiments with Iron Pit Props. In October 1929 an article in the “Ebbw Vale Works Magazine” stated, “experiments with iron pit-props conducted at Cwmtillery Colliery had proved successful”. The number of iron props in use were 12,107 and the number of flats were 2,177. As a result of the change from wooden props to iron props the timber …

De-Watering Drivage Rose Heyworth Colliery. In late 1980 the National Coal Board authorities had concerns of water affecting the Six Bells Colliery workings, the source of which was believed to have been from underground reservoirs located somewhere under the Arael Mountain between Rose Heyworth Colliery and Six Bells. They decided to open a Dewatering Drivage, a tunnel from Rose Heyworth …

Llanerch Colliery – Cwm-nant-ddu. Llanerch Colliery originally known as Cwm-nant-ddu was sunk in about the mid 1840’s. Its early history is a bit confusing and unclear at present though it seems industry in the area started between 1825-1830. The iron works commenced in the 1830’s with an approximate workforce of 3,000 hands under the name of the British Iron Works. …

North Celynen Colliery. The North Celynen Colliery was sunk by the Newport Abercarn Black Vein Steam Coal Company between 1908 and 1916. In January 1908 at a meeting in connection with a proposed recreation ground at Crumlin, the councillors heard that Kay Field, one of the options for a park, was out of the question as it had been promised …

Cwmtillery Colliery Steam Winder Indicator. This brass hand was used to indicate the position of the cages in the shaft during winding. This indicator hand is from Cwmtillery Colliery, Abertillery. These brass indicator hands were taken from the colliery when the steam winding engines were replaced with electrical winders sometime in the 1940’s or 1950’s. There were two winders in …

Mines Rescue Station – Crumlin. The featured photograph above is of the committee of the Monmouthshire Colliery Owners Rescue Association 1910. The Crumlin Rescue Station. In July 1910 the Crumlin Rescue Station was established and officially opened on Saturday 9th of July 1910. It was the first rescue station in Monmouthshire and only the second in South Wales. The first …

Graig Fawr Colliery and Level. The map shows the Graig Fawr Level (circled top) and the Graig Fawr Colliery (circled bottom) with the Marine Colliery in the middle of the two. (Information to come)

Cwm Valley Collieries.