Tarenni Colliery
Encyclopedia
The Tarenni Colliery and its associated workings, are a series of coal mines and pits located between the villages of Godre'r Graig
and Cilybebyll
located in the valley of the River Tawe
, in Neath Port Talbot
county borough
, South Wales
.
. After the disaster of 1853, it was redeveloped as the New Primrose Colliery, owned by Sir Ralph Howard, and by 1896 employed 307. It closed in the early 1900s, but from 1908 was revived as a pumping station for the Tarenni Colliery.
The first drift mine workings occurred in the late 1800s, at a site referred to at the time as the Tirbach Slants. The Pwllbach Colliery Company started development in 1898 of two slants, main and reverse, and after a series of lease changes which reverted the lease to the Pwllbach Colliery Company, production started in 1905. After the company collapsed into administration in 1924, the lease was taken over by the Pwllbach, Tirbach & Brynamman Anthracite Collieries Ltd, which in 1938 became Henderson's Welsh Anthracite Collieries Ltd.
These companies all worked the same seams: Big (abandoned 1939); Peacock (or Brass); Middle and Lower seams. The workings employed 651 in 1936, the height of its production. The site was closed from February 1940 due to geological difficulties, with 500 men given notice in January 1940. At this time during World War II
, labour was expensive, so it is likely that economics also played a large part in the decision to close. The mine reopened in May of that year, but had been completely abandoned by December 1940.
The site then became a disposal centre for extract from the main Tarenni Colliery, and after nationalisation, the National Coal Board
used it as a training site.
Opened in 1903 by the South Wales Primrose Coal Co Ltd, pit No.1 called Tarenni (143 yard) was sunk to work the Red vein under Ynys Wil Hernyn Farm. A sister pit further north, Gleision (Tarenni No.2, 443 yard), was sunk deeper to work the Big and Peacock veins, but faults made it difficult to work. There was a steep cross measure drift developed to connect the two shafts. Coal was distributed through access to either the Great Western Railway
via the Neath and Brecon Railway
, or the Midland Railway
via the Swansea Vale Railway
.
By 1908, Tarenni employed 427 men producing anthracite, which had grown to 803 by 1918, and 947 by 1923. By 1933, the mine was producing 140,000tonnnes per annum of anthracite. From 1937, the company started development workings to check the Big vein south, sinking the No.1 shaft to 576 yard. But development work stopped due to World War 2, and by 1938, there were a total of 522 men working the complex, with over two thirds deployed on No.1 shaft.
The Red vein workings in No.1 were abandoned in 1941, with a further reduction of 100 men achieved by reducing workings on the Big vein to one shift. The developent work on No.1 shaft continued after the war, approved for an investment of £150,157 by the Ministry of Fuel and Power to access the Lower Peacock seam in a more stable area. Further investment was made by the purchase and refurbishment of a new 0-4-0WT shunting locomotive, formerly of the Great North of Scotland Railway
.
But on nationalisation, the NCB concluded that the mine was uneconomic, and it was closed in February 1949 with the loss of 320 jobs.
Today, only the small Gleision Colliery ˈ drift mine exists, one of three privately owned coal mines still surviving in the South Wales Coalfield
.
Working the same area as the Tirbach Slants, National Union of Mineworkers
records suggest the development was active from 1962. The current workings of two drifts has been active from 1980, accessing the 2 in 6 in (0.762 m) Ynisarwed seam, with miners working the face by kneeling or laying down. The main drift of 250 metres (820.2 ft) provides access from a conveyor for a gauge railway, on which upto six drams
at a time are moved to two surface tipplers, from which the local council have authorised access for lorries of up to 15 tonnes in laden weight. The second drift does not have rail access, and provides air circulation and emergency ingress only.
Privatised in 1993, by 2001 seven men including the mine owner were working the drift, producing 200 tonnes/week. However, geological problems had resulted in the development of a deep and extensive sump system
to remove water ingress, and frequent problems with gas.
According to HM Inspectorate of Mines and Quarries data, outside the Gwendraeth valley, Tarenni Colliery had the highest set of recorded incidents for coal damp and methane gas explosions. In total during its production lifetime, there were six outbursts in which three men lost their lives: one on 12 December 1914; two on 17 February 1941.
On 1 November 1909, water from the abandoned Ynysgeinon pit caused the death of five miners at Tarenni No.2.
. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
called Mines Rescue units in from across the United Kingdom
, to rescue four miners located at a depth of 90 metres (295.3 ft) below the surface. On the afternoon of 16 September, South Wales Police
confirmed the death of all four miners.
Godre'r Graig
Godre'r Graig is village and an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough, Wales.The village developed alongside the coal workings at the Tarenni Colliery, which closed in 1949....
and Cilybebyll
Cilybebyll
Cilybebyll is a village and community in Neath Port Talbot County Borough in Wales. It includes the villages of Alltwen, Fforest Gôch, Gellinudd and Rhos, and is located east of Pontardawe, north of Neath and north east of Swansea...
located in the valley of the River Tawe
River Tawe
The River Tawe is a river in South Wales. It flows in a principally south-westerly direction for some from its source below Moel Feity in the Old Red Sandstone hills of the western Brecon Beacons to the Bristol Channel at Swansea. Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach...
, in Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot
Neath Port Talbot is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough....
county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
.
Primrose Colliery
Primrose Colliery was developed from the mid-1800s, close to the village of RhosRhos, Neath Port Talbot
Rhos is a village in the Swansea Valley, located between Neath and Pontardawe, in Neath Port Talbot county borough, South Wales.-History:Originally part of the Cilybebyll estate, the Primrose Colliery was developed from the mid-1800's, close to the village. On 13 October 1858, when owned by Morgan...
. After the disaster of 1853, it was redeveloped as the New Primrose Colliery, owned by Sir Ralph Howard, and by 1896 employed 307. It closed in the early 1900s, but from 1908 was revived as a pumping station for the Tarenni Colliery.
Tirbach Slants
The major coal seams are located close beneath the valley floor, but mean accessing steeply declining seams which run in high geological fault structures, running directly under the River Tawe. This makes the coal easily accessible, but also dangerous to extract.The first drift mine workings occurred in the late 1800s, at a site referred to at the time as the Tirbach Slants. The Pwllbach Colliery Company started development in 1898 of two slants, main and reverse, and after a series of lease changes which reverted the lease to the Pwllbach Colliery Company, production started in 1905. After the company collapsed into administration in 1924, the lease was taken over by the Pwllbach, Tirbach & Brynamman Anthracite Collieries Ltd, which in 1938 became Henderson's Welsh Anthracite Collieries Ltd.
These companies all worked the same seams: Big (abandoned 1939); Peacock (or Brass); Middle and Lower seams. The workings employed 651 in 1936, the height of its production. The site was closed from February 1940 due to geological difficulties, with 500 men given notice in January 1940. At this time during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, labour was expensive, so it is likely that economics also played a large part in the decision to close. The mine reopened in May of that year, but had been completely abandoned by December 1940.
The site then became a disposal centre for extract from the main Tarenni Colliery, and after nationalisation, the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
used it as a training site.
Tarenni Colliery
51.741447°N 3.808651°WOpened in 1903 by the South Wales Primrose Coal Co Ltd, pit No.1 called Tarenni (143 yard) was sunk to work the Red vein under Ynys Wil Hernyn Farm. A sister pit further north, Gleision (Tarenni No.2, 443 yard), was sunk deeper to work the Big and Peacock veins, but faults made it difficult to work. There was a steep cross measure drift developed to connect the two shafts. Coal was distributed through access to either the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
via the Neath and Brecon Railway
Neath and Brecon Railway
The Neath and Brecon Railway linked the Vale of Neath Railway at Neath with the Brecon and Merthyr Railway at Brecon and also via a connection from Colbren Junction, it linked to the Swansea Vale Railway at Ynysygeinon Junction ....
, or the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
via the Swansea Vale Railway
Swansea Vale Railway
|-|colspan="2" width="320"|-History:First opened in 1816 as a tramroad for conveying coal from Scott's Pit, near Birchgrove, to wharves on the River Tawe nearly four miles to the south, the Swansea Vale route grew to become a feeder railway for several mines and metal-working industries in the...
.
By 1908, Tarenni employed 427 men producing anthracite, which had grown to 803 by 1918, and 947 by 1923. By 1933, the mine was producing 140,000tonnnes per annum of anthracite. From 1937, the company started development workings to check the Big vein south, sinking the No.1 shaft to 576 yard. But development work stopped due to World War 2, and by 1938, there were a total of 522 men working the complex, with over two thirds deployed on No.1 shaft.
The Red vein workings in No.1 were abandoned in 1941, with a further reduction of 100 men achieved by reducing workings on the Big vein to one shift. The developent work on No.1 shaft continued after the war, approved for an investment of £150,157 by the Ministry of Fuel and Power to access the Lower Peacock seam in a more stable area. Further investment was made by the purchase and refurbishment of a new 0-4-0WT shunting locomotive, formerly of the Great North of Scotland Railway
Great North of Scotland Railway
The Great North of Scotland Railway was one of the smaller Scottish railways before the grouping, operating in the far north-east of the country. It was formed in 1845 and received its Parliamentary approval on June 26, 1846, following over two years of local meetings...
.
But on nationalisation, the NCB concluded that the mine was uneconomic, and it was closed in February 1949 with the loss of 320 jobs.
Gleision Colliery
51.7425°N 3.8016°WToday, only the small Gleision Colliery ˈ drift mine exists, one of three privately owned coal mines still surviving in the South Wales Coalfield
South Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
.
Working the same area as the Tirbach Slants, National Union of Mineworkers
National Union of Mineworkers
The National Union of Mineworkers is a trade union for coal miners in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1945 as a reorganisation of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain . For much of the 20th century the NUM was a powerful force not only in the British union movement, but also in British...
records suggest the development was active from 1962. The current workings of two drifts has been active from 1980, accessing the 2 in 6 in (0.762 m) Ynisarwed seam, with miners working the face by kneeling or laying down. The main drift of 250 metres (820.2 ft) provides access from a conveyor for a gauge railway, on which upto six drams
Mine railway
A mine railway is a railway constructed to carry materials and workers in and out of a mine. Materials transported typically include ore, coal and spoil. Today most mine railways are electrically powered; in former times pit ponies, such as Shetland ponies, were used to haul the trains...
at a time are moved to two surface tipplers, from which the local council have authorised access for lorries of up to 15 tonnes in laden weight. The second drift does not have rail access, and provides air circulation and emergency ingress only.
Privatised in 1993, by 2001 seven men including the mine owner were working the drift, producing 200 tonnes/week. However, geological problems had resulted in the development of a deep and extensive sump system
Sump pump
A sump pump is a pump used to remove water that has accumulated in a water collecting sump basin, commonly found in the basement of homes. The water may enter via the perimeter drains of a basement waterproofing system, funneling into the basin or because of rain or natural ground water, if the...
to remove water ingress, and frequent problems with gas.
Disaster history
On 13 October 1858, when the Primrose Colliery was owned by Morgan and Lewis, fumes of an engine boiler suffocated 14 men and boys, and 7 horses.According to HM Inspectorate of Mines and Quarries data, outside the Gwendraeth valley, Tarenni Colliery had the highest set of recorded incidents for coal damp and methane gas explosions. In total during its production lifetime, there were six outbursts in which three men lost their lives: one on 12 December 1914; two on 17 February 1941.
On 1 November 1909, water from the abandoned Ynysgeinon pit caused the death of five miners at Tarenni No.2.
2011 disaster
On 15 September 2011, workings at the Gleision Colliery suffered a large ingress of water at 09:21. Three miners escaped to the surface, with one taken to Morriston HospitalMorriston Hospital
Morriston Hospital is a 750 bed hospital located in Cwmrhydyceirw near Morriston in Swansea, Wales. Morriston is the largest hospital in the city and county of Swansea and is operated by Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board. Alongside its role as a district general hospital, Morriston...
. South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service covering the ten Welsh principal areas of Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen and Vale of Glamorgan....
called Mines Rescue units in from across the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, to rescue four miners located at a depth of 90 metres (295.3 ft) below the surface. On the afternoon of 16 September, South Wales Police
South Wales Police
South Wales Police is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. Its headquarters are based in Bridgend.Covering Wales' capital city, Cardiff, as well as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, and the western South Wales Valleys, it is the largest police force in Wales in terms of population,...
confirmed the death of all four miners.
External links
- Tarenni Colliery at the National Mining MuseumNational Mining MuseumThe National Mining Museum is a museum dedicated to showcasing Zimbabwe's mining heritage. It was developed by the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe. The museum is found in Kwekwe, a town in central Zimbabwe....
- Tarenni Colliery at Welsh coalmines
- Gleision Collery at MinersAdvice.co.uk