Cwmtillery Colliery 1842-1982

Cwmtillery Colliery 1842-1982.
The sinking of Tyr Nicholas Colliery, named after the Tyr Nicholas Farm on land owned by Mr Daniel Rogers and Mr Daniel Samuel began in 1840 and was completed by September 1842. The shaft was one hundred and thirty yards deep by seven feet in diameter, it was sunk to the Elled coal seam. 

The Celebration Dinner.
On Saturday 17th of September 1842, the Monmouthshire Merlin newspaper reported on a “Dinner to Celebrate the Discovery of Coal at Cwmtillery”. The report stated that on the previous Saturday the shaft had been sunk at Tyr Nicholas under the ownership of Mr Thomas Brown had been completed. Gentlemen, over one-hundred in number, agents and leading men in his employ had been entertained at the Blaina Inn and dinner for thirty was provided at the Kings Head for the workmen employed at Cwmtillery. Mr Thomas Brown Esq occupied the chair, Mr S. G. Wilcox acted as vice chairman. The following are some of the gentlemen who attended the dinner – Mr W. S. Cartwright; Mr Martin Morrison; Mr George Lawrence; Mr James Morrison and Mr Richard Morrison: Also present were Messrs Daniel Rogers and Daniel Samuel, both farm owners who sold their homesteads to Mr Thomas Brown so as to expand the colliery. 

The colliery was situated and named after the land upon which it was established – Tyr Nicholas Farm. Its owner Mr Thomas Brown later purchased more land around Tyr Nicholas to expand the colliery surface area. The colliery, officially named Tyr Nicholas was also known as Brown’s Colliery after its owner and appeared under that name on John Prujean’s coal mines land map of 1843 which showed the early coal mines in Abertillery and Cwmtillery. It was later known as Russell’s Colliery, the South Wales Colliery, Cwmtillery Colliery and much later Abertillery New Mine (Cwmtillery Section). 

Mr Thomas Brown Esq.
Mr Thomas Brown was born at Merthyr in 1802, the son of Mr Richard Brown. The Brown family later came to Ebbw Vale and Thomas worked alongside his father and brother James for the Ebbw Vale Company. In 1818 Mr Thomas Brown was in Nantyglo. In 1820 he and his father were in partnership with Messrs Brewer, they set up the Coalbrookvale Iron Works Nantyglo. In 1823 they established the Blaina Iron Works and a few years later the Cwmcelyn Works.

On Monday 4th of August 1834, Mr Thomas Brown married Miss Fanny Williams, the eldest daughter of Mr Williams of Tutshill, near Chepstow.

Mr Thomas Brown later went into partnership with Mr John Russell of Risca and they worked the Risca Collieries. He came back to the Ebbw Vale Company in the late 1830’s and also had a position in the Blaina and Cwmcelyn Works, later he set out on his own and purchased land in Cwmtillery at Tyr-Nicholas Farm and sunk the Tyr Nicholas Colliery.

In the early years all “coal from” and all “supplies to” the various coal mines at Cwmtillery was transported down or up the valley by pack-mules.

Mr John Russell Esq.
In 1847 Mr John Russell Esq a colliery proprietor of Risca purchased the colliery at Tyr Nicholas, Cwmtillery. Mr John Russell was an earlier business partner of Messrs Thomas and James Brown, in 1832 they had formed Messrs Russell & Browns Iron Company at Blaina, though Mr Russell later left the partnership in 1840. In order for Mr Russell to expand the colliery he put out for tenders to have a dram line built up through the Tillery Valley, all the coal would then be transported down the valley in drams hauled by horses. 

General Manager.
In the 1850’s Mr John Carpenter was general manager at the colliery.

Further Sinkings.
In 1852 Mr John Russell expanded the colliery and sunk another shaft.

Mr Lodowick William Rees.
In July 1855 Mr Lodowick William Rees, a manager working for Mr John Russell at his Risca collieries left Risca to come and manage Tyr Nicholas Colliery, Cwmtillery.

In 1858 Mr Russell sunk a third shaft at the colliery.

The Contract to Supply Her Majesty’s Ships.
In 1859 Mr John Russell had his coal at Tyr Nicholas Colliery tested by the Government and it was stated that it was the best steam coal in South Wales. After this testing procedure he was granted a contract to supply Her Majesty’s Ships. 

The Company Shop.
In 1861 the Tyr Nicholas Colliery had a company shop, it was owned by the owner of the colliery Mr John Russell Esq, the weigher was Mr Edward Carpenter.

The Living Frog in a Lump of Coal and the International Exhibition.
In 1862 workmen at Cwmtillery Colliery found a living from in the coal seam, they brought the block of coal containing the frog to the surface where Mr Russell sent it to London to be displayed at the International Exhibition of 1862.

Following is a Link to – The Living Frog in a Block of Coal.

The Sale of the Colliery.
In the early 1860’s Mr John Russell announced that the Tyr Nicholas Colliery was for sale. During the time he owned the colliery it had built a great reputation and was well known for its quality of coal throughout the country. Mr Russell put a price tag on the colliery of £66,000.

Mr Thomas Brown was informed of the proposed sale and was keen to purchase the colliery back from his old business partner. He approached Mr Crawshay Bailey to help form a new company to purchase the colliery from Mr Russell, they came to an agreement and put into action the formation of a new colliery company.

General Manager.
In the 1860’s Mr John Jones was general manager at the colliery.

General Manager.
From the late 1860’s the general manager was Mr Joseph Wallace. Mr Joseph Wallace was born in Farnborough, Somerset in 1834. Mr Wallace came to South Wales and began work in the Risca Colliery, he then moved to Cwmtillery where he became the colliery manager under Mr John Russell. 

The South Wales Colliery Company.
In 1864 the South Wales Colliery Company was formed with the full purpose to purchase Tyr Nicholas Colliery, Cwmtillery from Mr John Russell. It was said that the company was formed under the advice of Mr Thomas Brown. It was reported that Mr John Russell was asking the sum of £66,000 for the collieries. After lengthy discussions Mr John Russell sold it to the newly formed South Wales Colliery Company under the direction of Mr Crawshay Bailey for an undisclosed amount.

The South Wales Colliery Company – The Original Company Members 1864.
The Directors – Mr S. P. Vereker (South Staffordshire Railway Co); Mr W. Challis Esq and Mr Thomas Greatrex (Newport); Mr W. B. Greenfield Esq (Pernambuco Railway Co); Mr Lawrence Heyworth Esq (Yew Tree, Liverpool):
The Chairman – Mr Crawshay Bailey Esq, MP:
Vice Chairman – Mr R. W. Kennard, Messrs Kennard & Co:
Bankers – The Consolidated Bank (Fenchurch St) and Messrs Crawshay Bailey & Co (Newport):
Solicitors – Mr George Rooper Esq (Lincolns Inn Fields):
Brokers – Messrs Joshua Hutchinson & Sons:
Auditors – Mr Edward Cheshire Esq (Bank of Egypt) and Mr Cornelius Walford Esq (Enfield):
Secretary – Mr James J. Wallis Esq:
Offices – No 16 Cannon Street London:

The South Wales Colliery.
After the South Wales Colliery Company purchased Tyr Nicholas Colliery in 1864, the colliery became known as the South Wales Colliery, Cwmtillery.

The Departure of Mr Joseph Wallace.
After the South Wales Colliery Company purchased the colliery Mr Wallace moved to Machynlleth, Merionethshire and worked in the slate quarries.

Details of the Colliery from an 1869 Mining Report.
There are three pits sunk at thirty-three yards apart.

The Downcast Shaft, which is also the drawing pit is sunk through the Elled, Big Vein, Three-Quarter, Rock, Bedelleg and Old Coal seams at a depth of 246 yards. It has one landing at the Three-Quarter seam at 144 yards depth, and another at the rock seam at 193 yards depth.

The Middle Pit is sunk to the same depth, it is round, it has been used as a pumping pit.

The Upcast or North Pit is oval in section, sunk to the three-quarter seam at 144 yards deep, it is fitted with carriages and wire rope guides for raising coal but these are intended to be removed and a chimney erected at the top of the pit.

There are two furnaces in operation for the ventilation of the entire mine – are 8′ foot wide 80 yards from the upcast. The new furnace is 9′ foot wide at the bottom of the upcast. The distribution of air is 35,000 cubic feet to the east side workings, total 63,000 cubic feet. The consumption of coal is five tons in 24 hours, equal to 8,076 cubic feet per pound of coal used.

The South Wales Colliery Company Shop.
In the early 1870’s the Industrial Shop Company was connected to the South Wales Colliery Company with the chairman of both the company and the industrial shop company being Mr Lawrence Heyworth. This shop was known as the “Truck Shop” or “Company Store”. The system was put in place so that the employee was paid his wages part cash and part tokens, with the tokens redeemable only at the company store.

To many people, this seemed wrong, the truck system had a hold on the workers who could not spend the tokens anywhere else other than the company shop, which was said to have had a high cost on provisions compared to other local stores. This was debated in a later case where a few local people objected to the practise and it was argued over in the High Court. Mr Lawrence Heyworth defended the truck system by stating he had seen many a hardship in Cwmtillery where workers wives could not afford to feed themselves or their children as their husbands were spending their wages in the pub. Mr Lawrence Heyworth wanted the wives to have some security and to have the tokens to spend on themselves and their children.

Not every employer felt the same as at the same time Messrs T. P. & D. Price of the Tillery Penybont Colliery and Mr John Conway of the Abertillery Tin Works publicly announced they were to pay their employees in coin of the realm. The latter, as early as the 1850’s was even offering his workforce free train fares once a month for them to shop at Newport or Bristol.

Mr George Collingwood.
Mr George Collingwood was the keeper of the truck shop, he was operating it for the company and being paid a wage of £60 per year plus a commission of 10% for goods sold. Mr James Harding was the company cashier. Mr Collingwood also held the license to keep and sell gunpowder at the shop with a maximum of one ton to be held in the colliery powder magazine at any one time.

General Manager.
In the early 1870’s Mr Joseph Wallace was general manager at the colliery for the second time. Mr Wallace came back to Cwmtillery in the early 1870’s and became the general manager of the colliery again after an old friend of his Mr Lawrence Heyworth, who after gaining more influence in the South Wales Colliery Co asked Mr Wallace – his trusted friend to come back to Cwmtillery.

The 1875 Drivage Link to Rose Heyworth.
In 1875 the South Wales Colliery, Cwmtillery was linked to the newly sunk Rose Heyworth Colliery in the neighbouring valley for ventilation purposes. A main drivage between the two collieries was driven by Mr Joseph Wallace the general manager and a Mr William Adams, a mining engineer of Cardiff. The Rose Heyworth shaft became the downcast and Cwmtillery No1 shaft being the upcast north shaft, though as mentioned the shafts were later renumbered. 

Lancaster Spier & Company.
In July 1888 Lancaster Spier & Company (a subsidiary of the J. Lancaster Company) worked the South Wales Colliery (along with Rose Heyworth Colliery) under lease from the South Wales Colliery Company. The colliery became known as Cwmtillery Colliery. Messrs Spier was a Lancaster family member, it was only under their control for a short while, financial problems occurred and Messrs J. Lancaster Co took over control of that certain partnership.

Lake Villas Cwmtillery.
In 1888 the new Lancaster Spier & Company had Lake Villa’s constructed as the colliery managers and cashiers’ residence and in 1889 their new Manager Mr Daniel Lewis and his family moved into the building. The other house connected was for the cashier for the company. In 1898 Mr Lewis became a councillor and chairman of the Abertillery Council. In September 1900 he officially opened the Abertillery Swimming Baths at the Abertillery Park. In 1904 Mr Lewis retired, vacated the villas and lived at Clarence House, Blaenau Gwent.

Following is a Link to – The Mr Daniel Lewis Story.

Lancaster & Co.
In 1900’s Messrs Spier left the company and Messrs J. Lancaster & Co took over the Cwmtillery Colliery.

General Manager.
In 1904 Mr Thomas Jenkin Williams was general manager at the colliery.

The Ebbw Vale Company.
In 1915 the Ebbw Vale Company leased the Cwmtillery Colliery.

General Manager.
During the war years Mr B. P. Thomas was general manager at the colliery.

General Manager.
In the 1920’s Mr Lewellyn Howells was general manager at the colliery, he was at the colliery only for a short while as interim manager. Mr Howells later went to the USA to work in the coal mines. In May 1935 he was sadly killed in an explosion in a mine where he was employed by the Bethlehem Coal and Steel Corporation, West Virginia. The death report stated Mr Howells had been in the States since 1930.

General Manager.
In the mid 1920’s Mr Harold Simpson was general manager at the colliery.

General Manager.
In the 1930’s Mr R. Rutherford was general manager at the colliery. Mr Rutherford left Cwmtillery in 1935.

General Manager.
In 1935 Mr Ivor Warfield was general manager at the colliery. Mr Warfield passed away in 1938.

General Manager.
In 1938 Mr J. R. Jones was general manager at the colliery.

The Monmouthshire Collieries Directory 1938.
The Monmouthshire Collieries Directory 1938, stated that the workforce at the Cwmtillery Colliery, at both No1 and No2 pits, totalled 1,428, this number including below ground, above ground and surface workers.  

Cwmtillery Colliery Pithead Baths and Canteen.
On Saturday 25th of November 1939, the Cwmtillery Colliery Pithead Baths and Canteen were officially opened. There was no ceremony owing to the outbreak of war. The baths and canteen were built under the auspices of the Central Miners Welfare Committee of the Miners Welfare Fund. Those who attended the opening were as follows – Mr Idris Morgan (Secretary of the Management Committee); Mr J. R. Jones; Mr A. Hall; Mr J. G. Wilcox; Mr E. G. Gurner (Trustees): Mr G. Sage; Mr D. Patten; Mr T. Bryant and Mr H. C. Jones:

Description of the Building.
The Cwmtillery Colliery Pithead Baths built at a cost of £40,000 was constructed on two floors, identical to each other in layout, built of red engineering stock bricks of Richard Thomas & Co, Ebbw Vale. It was reported that there were 1,728 clean lockers with 1,728 dirty lockers, a boot cleaning and greasing room, a bottle filling room and also a canteen. It was constructed under the control of the Lancaster collieries, a subsidiary of the Messrs Richard Thomas & Co Ltd.

The Contractor and Architect.
Messrs T. F. Howell of Caerphilly were the contractors. Messrs A. G. Arnold & Son of Godfrey Road, Newport were the electrical engineers.

General Manager.
In 1945 Mr Ron Watkins was general manager at the colliery.

National Coal Board – N.C.B.
In 1947 the collieries of Great Britain were nationalised and taken over by the National Coal Board.

General Manager.
In the 1950’s Mr J. Pocock was reported as being general manager at the colliery.

The Rose Heyworth Colliery Drift and Coal Preparation Plant.
In 1959 a new drift was driven from Rose Heyworth Colliery, 1,200 yards down at a 1 in 5 gradient to the Cwmtillery workings. This new drift was to transport the coal from Cwmtillery and Rose Heyworth to be washed at the new coal preparation plant that was built at the Rose Heyworth Colliery.

On Tuesday 7th of June 1960, production began from this new drift and coal preparation plant. The washed coal was then sent straight down the valley. All railway lines up through the Cwmtillery Valley were then dismantled.

Abertillery New Mine – Cwmtillery and Rose Heyworth.
In 1959, after the merger of the Rose Heyworth and Cwmtillery Collieries and following the installation of the new drift, the Cwmtillery Colliery was renamed (Abertillery New Mine – Cwmtillery Section), Rose Heyworth Colliery was (Abertillery New Mine – Rose Heyworth Section).

General Manager.
In the 1960’s Mr A. E. Huxley was general manager at the colliery.

Cwmtillery Welfare Club – Penybont.
In the early 1960’s the Cwmtillery Welfare Club situated at Penybont Tip was established for the workmen of Abertillery New Mine, Cwmtillery Section. It was originally a stables and granary and later a laboratory for the colliery, it stood on two and a half acres of land close to Tillery Street. I have no closure date, as yet, although it later became a council store and was demolished in the mid 1980’s when the Abertillery Comprehensive School was under construction. 

Applications for Steward and Stewardess.
A steward and stewardess were advertised to work at the club, with no living accommodation, as early as May 1963. All applications were to be handed in to Mr E. Price, Secretary, 5 Club Row, Cwmtillery.

The Official Opening.
On Saturday 7th of September 1963, the Cwmtillery Welfare Club was officially opened. The club was opened by Mr A. E. Huxley the manager of the colliery. Others who attended the ceremony were as follows – Mr Lister Walker (N.C.B. Area Manager); Major S. A. Snazell (Webb’s); Mr J. A. Moxham (Group Manager); Mr Harold Bartlett (Secretary of the N.U.M. Cwmtillery Lodge) and Mr E. R. Pinney (Undermanager):

Description of the Building.
The club was bought from the National Coal Board at a cost of £1,500 and cost £10,000 to renovate. Webb’s Brewers was said to have helped financially. The Architect was Mr R. MacDavitt.

In January 1964 the club was altered, added to and decorated, there were seven rooms downstairs, also a skittle alley, a bar and three lounges, a room for games and darts etc.

Membership and Fees.
The workmen of the colliery contributed 3d. per week fees and there were 800 members on the books. Mr E. Price (Secretary) and Mr C. Meredith (Chairman). The officers were as follows – Mr Ted White; Mr Roy Ashton and Mr Ben Roberts:

The First Function at the Club.
The first function at the club was a presentation evening in connection with presenting safety awards to the men at Cwmtillery Colliery.

The Blaenserchan Colliery.
In 1977 Abertillery New Mine, Rose Heyworth and Cwmtillery Sections were linked to Blaenserchan Colliery.

Cwmtillery Colliery Manrider.
On Thursday 18th of August 1977, the Gwent Gazette reported the following – As from next week, men from the Cwmtillery section of the Abertillery New Mine will be able to travel to the colliery’s South Garw District in comfort. The biggest, fastest and most advanced manrider in the South Wales Coalfield. The £100,000 installation has involved re-aligning over 1,500 metres of underground roadway, driving another 1,500 metres of new underground roadway through hard rock and also excavating a large haulage house to lay the track.

The new 3,000 metres of manrider is the longest to be installed in the coalfield, the speed is estimated at eight and a half miles per hour. The 120 seater manrider should reduce travelling time by twenty-five minutes each way. The system will also be the first of its kind to have a radio communication between the driver of the train and the haulage driver instead of just manual communication.

The installation was carried out by the colliery’s own workforce with machinery and equipment manufactured by the National Coal Board’s subsidiary, Tredomen Engineering. The Abertillery New Mine complex is the largest in the coalfield, it has over thirty-five miles of underground roadways and eleven miles of conveyors.

The Closure of Cwmtillery Colliery.
On Friday 20th of November 1982, Cwmtillery Colliery officially closed. It remained the upcast for the Rose Heyworth Colliery until the latter officially closed on 20th of December 1985 and officially wound up on the 1st of January 1986.

Fatalities at Cwmtillery Colliery 1842-1984.
Over the years many workmen died at the colliery, caused from explosions and accidents and such. Here is a link to those that sadly died that were known, reported and listed in official documentation. 

Following is a Link to – Cwmtillery Colliery Fatalities 1842-1982

(More information to come).

 

Points of interest – The original three shafts are seen in the image, the two winding shafts with headgear and the third shaft (far right) for ventilation topped with a wide chimney stack. In an 1869 report this chimney hadn’t been built, it was stated that the ventilation shaft was fitted with carriages and wire rope guides which were intended to be removed and a chimney to be erected at the top of the pit. 

In October 1876 the chimney stack was erected over the mouth of the ventilation shaft. In a later report this stack was lower and in line with the roof of the winding house, though during examinations in connection with ventilation problems it was proved that the wind blowing across the roof of the winding house was causing a buffering effect and interfering with the constant flow of air rising from the furnace ventilation shaft. In consequence to this effect the company was ordered to rise the stack well above the roof of the winding house to prevent this occurring.

The London and South Wales Colliery Company.
The London and South Wales Colliery Company is often mistaken as being the same company or as being associated with the South Wales Colliery Company. In fact, there is no connection whatsoever, the London and South Wales Colliery Company were the owners of the Risca Collieries.

Messrs T. F. Howells.
On Saturday 25th of November 1939, Messrs T. F. Howell of Caerphilly constructed the pithead baths at Cwmtillery Colliery. A few years later in 1948 the company of Messrs T. F. Howell was given the contract to construct the houses on the Rose Heyworth Housing Estate.