Killay
Encyclopedia
Killay is the name of a suburb and local government community
in Swansea
, Wales
. Killay has its own community council. The village is set high above sea level, about 3.5 miles west of Swansea city centre
.
The north of the area is mainly residential and is deemed a relatively affluent area of Swansea. The south of the area consists of an unpopulated common, which is used for grazing and forms part of Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
s, one working the Penlan seam, the other the Penclawdd seam
. In 1902 the colliery was taken over by W.W. Holmes and Co. By 1919 the mine had grown to be one of the largest in the area employing 755 men, mostly from the nearby village of Dunvant
. In 1920 Henry Folland's Killan Collieries Ltd bought the colliery as a source of supply for his Grovesend Steel and Tinplate Company. In 1923 the Penclawdd drift was also producing house coal and had grown to over 1,500 yards in length.
The men who lost their lives in the disaster were:
• Wilfred John (17)
• Willie Goulding (22)
• Charles Evans (30)
• Archie Davis (28)
• Phil Godbeer (32)
The mine would never recover from the disaster, and was to close later that year in 1925.
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Killay has its own community council. The village is set high above sea level, about 3.5 miles west of Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre
Swansea city centre in Swansea, Wales, contains the main shopping, leisure and nightlife district in Swansea. The city centre covers much of the Castle ward including the area around Oxford Street, Castle Square, and the Quadrant Shopping Centre; Alexandra Road, High Street, Wind Street and the...
.
The north of the area is mainly residential and is deemed a relatively affluent area of Swansea. The south of the area consists of an unpopulated common, which is used for grazing and forms part of Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Geography
Killay Marsh Local Nature Reserve covers covers 21.3 acres (8.62 hectares) and comprises a mosaic of wetland habitats. Wet woodland (alder and willow carr), swamp and marsh habitat straddle the upper River Clyne with open marsh, fen, wet heath, with drier grassland and woodland on the slightly drier marginal area. The Local Nature Reserve is a remnant of a much larger wetland area destroyed by land reclamation animation for development including housing and landfill between 1930 and 1970. The land is owned by the City and County of Swansea and has been managed by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales since 1995.History of Mining
The village of Killay evolved as a direct result of the south Wales coal industry. There were a good number of mines in Killay, the Clyne valley and in the neighbouring village of Dunvant dating back as far as the 14th century. The largest company, but also one of the latest, to mine coal in the district was the Killan Colliery Company, which began operations in 1899. There were two driftDrift mining
Drift mining is either the mining of a placer deposit by underground methods, or the working of coal seams accessed by adits driven into the surface outcrop of the coal bed. Drift is a more general mining term, meaning a near-horizontal passageway in a mine, following the bed or vein of ore. A...
s, one working the Penlan seam, the other the Penclawdd seam
Stratum
In geology and related fields, a stratum is a layer of sedimentary rock or soil with internally consistent characteristics that distinguish it from other layers...
. In 1902 the colliery was taken over by W.W. Holmes and Co. By 1919 the mine had grown to be one of the largest in the area employing 755 men, mostly from the nearby village of Dunvant
Dunvant
Dunvant is a suburban district in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, and falls within the Dunvant ward. It is situated in a valley some 4.5 miles west of Swansea city centre.-History:...
. In 1920 Henry Folland's Killan Collieries Ltd bought the colliery as a source of supply for his Grovesend Steel and Tinplate Company. In 1923 the Penclawdd drift was also producing house coal and had grown to over 1,500 yards in length.
The Killan Colliery Disaster
On 27 November 1924, an inrush of water flooded the mine with such terrible force that it tore out the roof. As soon as the news reached the surface, rescuers rushed to the mine from afar to assist several trapped miners. Two bodies were recovered almost instantly, and it soon became apparent that a further eleven men were entombed in the mine. Pumps were brought in from other mines, and rescuers made frantic attempts to reach the trapped miners. After fifty hours, a call reached the surface to send down ladders because eight men had been located. The men had survived after breathing from an air pocket and were soon to be freed. Divers were then sent to search for the remaining three men who were still missing without success. It was not until the 1st of January 1925 that their bodies were finally retrieved.The men who lost their lives in the disaster were:
• Wilfred John (17)
• Willie Goulding (22)
• Charles Evans (30)
• Archie Davis (28)
• Phil Godbeer (32)
The mine would never recover from the disaster, and was to close later that year in 1925.
External links
- Killay community council
- Killay village: