Lee Reynolds1
Lady Windsor/Abercynon Colliery,6ft Seam
The Story of Lady Windsor Colliery.
The 1842 tithe map and schedules of Llanwonno Parish shows Ynysybwl to be a small village consisting of a few cottages and farms. It was located in the centre of the parish at the point where the Ffrwd flowed into the Clydach river. According to the 1841 census around 200 people inhabited the village and surrounding farms. The majority of them earned their livings as farmers, agricultural labourers or female servants. Other villager's occupations included a blacksmith, timberman, mason, shoemaker, tailor, miller and publican of the Ynysybwl Inn. Very little change occurred over the next forty years apart from the building of the odd cottage.
Indeed the 1881 census showed that the population of Ynysybwl and its surroundings had only increased to about 270 inhabitants. Another striking feature of the 1881 census is that not one collier was listed among the villagers.
David Davies began test bores in the early 1880s at Graigddu (English - Black Rock), which proved positive. Colliery development began in 1884 by Plymouth Estates, later to become the Ocean Coal Company, with many of the early workers from Davies home village of Llandinam, Montgomeryshire. The shafts Nos.1 and 2 each 689 yards deep, with the first coal produced in 1886.
As with most coal mining areas in the South Wales Coalfield, a local community immediately sprang up around the colliery at Ynysybwl. 300 houses were built in typical South Wales Valleys terraced fashion by the mine owners in order to house workers and their families, with most built on the opposing (Western) side of the valley.
Miners wages were low, in 1886 colliers earned between 3s 6d and 5s 0d a week poverty and hunger was rife, yet the shareholders of Lady Windsor were taking a massive 50% dividend. Grand managers houses were built, Tynywern – 1888 and Glynderwen – 1904.
Conditions underground remained poor with oil lamps still in use after the 1921 strike. It wasn't until 1930 that the colliery owners began to consider the working conditions and welfare of the miners who worked for them.
The high grade of coal produced was ideal for maritime uses, and was hence bought by various shipping concerns including the Admiralty and Cunard Line. This spurred Davies purchase of the rival Harris-owned Deep Navigation Colliery in 1893, which from 1914 for a period provided electricity supply to Lady Windsor.
During its peak period the colliery employed around 1500 people directly although most of the 6000-7000 village community relied upon the pit in one way or another. In 1935 the colliery was employing 142 men on the surface and 949 underground. In 1931, Lady Windsor was among the first collieries in Wales to provide a pithead baths and first aid/medical treatment room, with the residents of the village were also allowed to use the baths for a small fee (3d to 6d). In 1935 the colliery was employing 142 men on the surface and 949 underground.
In 1946 the colliery was owned by Ocean and United National Collieries Ltd, and employed 1,000 men underground and a further 180 on the surface.
Post World War II, nationalisation took place on 1 January 1947, but the returning miners wanted better conditions, and many choose to commute to work at the newly developed Treforest Trading Estate. In part filled by displaced and stateless Europeans, even special allowances did not fulfil the labour needs of the mines.
By 1956 The Lady Windsor was in need of deeper exploitation with almost all the reserves in the Upper Seams being exhausted. With closed pits from County Durham providing an influx of labour, during 1964 a £4 million reorganisation put in a new pit bottom area, trunk conveyors and a diesel loco haulage system.
In 1957 the colliery employed 959 men underground and a further 211 on the surface, at the time the mine was working the 4’-0”, 9’-0” & Bute Seams.
In 1969 the colliery employed 775 men underground and a further 209 on the surface, at the time the mine was working the 9’-0” Seam.
In March 1975 it was linked underground via two parallel tunnels with Abercynon Colliery, which was situated on the other side of the mountain, to form a single production unit at a cost of £450,000. Coal was raised at the Lady Windsor end of the unit from a depth of 687 yards, with 1,150 men were producing 318,000 tons yearly from Six feet, Lower Nine feet and Seven feet seams.
By 1981 manpower deployment broke down to 216 on development, 292 on the coalface, 342 underground and 305 on the surface.
The Lady Windsor/Abercynon unit was closed by British Coal in February 1988
David Davies (18 December 1818 – 20 July 1890) was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1874 and 1886. Davies was often known as David Davies Llandinam (from the place of his birth, Llandinam in Powys), to differentiate him from others of the same name. He is best remembered today for founding Barry Docks.
During the life of the mine it worked the following seams in part or whole.
4’-0” Seam Abandoned 1986
6’0” Seam Abandoned 1988
9’-0” Seam Abandoned 1986
Bute Seam Abandoned 1986
7’-0” Seam Abandoned 1984
5’-0”/Gellideg Seam Abandoned 1988
Lady Windsor/Abercynon Colliery,6ft Seam
The Story of Lady Windsor Colliery.
The 1842 tithe map and schedules of Llanwonno Parish shows Ynysybwl to be a small village consisting of a few cottages and farms. It was located in the centre of the parish at the point where the Ffrwd flowed into the Clydach river. According to the 1841 census around 200 people inhabited the village and surrounding farms. The majority of them earned their livings as farmers, agricultural labourers or female servants. Other villager's occupations included a blacksmith, timberman, mason, shoemaker, tailor, miller and publican of the Ynysybwl Inn. Very little change occurred over the next forty years apart from the building of the odd cottage.
Indeed the 1881 census showed that the population of Ynysybwl and its surroundings had only increased to about 270 inhabitants. Another striking feature of the 1881 census is that not one collier was listed among the villagers.
David Davies began test bores in the early 1880s at Graigddu (English - Black Rock), which proved positive. Colliery development began in 1884 by Plymouth Estates, later to become the Ocean Coal Company, with many of the early workers from Davies home village of Llandinam, Montgomeryshire. The shafts Nos.1 and 2 each 689 yards deep, with the first coal produced in 1886.
As with most coal mining areas in the South Wales Coalfield, a local community immediately sprang up around the colliery at Ynysybwl. 300 houses were built in typical South Wales Valleys terraced fashion by the mine owners in order to house workers and their families, with most built on the opposing (Western) side of the valley.
Miners wages were low, in 1886 colliers earned between 3s 6d and 5s 0d a week poverty and hunger was rife, yet the shareholders of Lady Windsor were taking a massive 50% dividend. Grand managers houses were built, Tynywern – 1888 and Glynderwen – 1904.
Conditions underground remained poor with oil lamps still in use after the 1921 strike. It wasn't until 1930 that the colliery owners began to consider the working conditions and welfare of the miners who worked for them.
The high grade of coal produced was ideal for maritime uses, and was hence bought by various shipping concerns including the Admiralty and Cunard Line. This spurred Davies purchase of the rival Harris-owned Deep Navigation Colliery in 1893, which from 1914 for a period provided electricity supply to Lady Windsor.
During its peak period the colliery employed around 1500 people directly although most of the 6000-7000 village community relied upon the pit in one way or another. In 1935 the colliery was employing 142 men on the surface and 949 underground. In 1931, Lady Windsor was among the first collieries in Wales to provide a pithead baths and first aid/medical treatment room, with the residents of the village were also allowed to use the baths for a small fee (3d to 6d). In 1935 the colliery was employing 142 men on the surface and 949 underground.
In 1946 the colliery was owned by Ocean and United National Collieries Ltd, and employed 1,000 men underground and a further 180 on the surface.
Post World War II, nationalisation took place on 1 January 1947, but the returning miners wanted better conditions, and many choose to commute to work at the newly developed Treforest Trading Estate. In part filled by displaced and stateless Europeans, even special allowances did not fulfil the labour needs of the mines.
By 1956 The Lady Windsor was in need of deeper exploitation with almost all the reserves in the Upper Seams being exhausted. With closed pits from County Durham providing an influx of labour, during 1964 a £4 million reorganisation put in a new pit bottom area, trunk conveyors and a diesel loco haulage system.
In 1957 the colliery employed 959 men underground and a further 211 on the surface, at the time the mine was working the 4’-0”, 9’-0” & Bute Seams.
In 1969 the colliery employed 775 men underground and a further 209 on the surface, at the time the mine was working the 9’-0” Seam.
In March 1975 it was linked underground via two parallel tunnels with Abercynon Colliery, which was situated on the other side of the mountain, to form a single production unit at a cost of £450,000. Coal was raised at the Lady Windsor end of the unit from a depth of 687 yards, with 1,150 men were producing 318,000 tons yearly from Six feet, Lower Nine feet and Seven feet seams.
By 1981 manpower deployment broke down to 216 on development, 292 on the coalface, 342 underground and 305 on the surface.
The Lady Windsor/Abercynon unit was closed by British Coal in February 1988
David Davies (18 December 1818 – 20 July 1890) was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1874 and 1886. Davies was often known as David Davies Llandinam (from the place of his birth, Llandinam in Powys), to differentiate him from others of the same name. He is best remembered today for founding Barry Docks.
During the life of the mine it worked the following seams in part or whole.
4’-0” Seam Abandoned 1986
6’0” Seam Abandoned 1988
9’-0” Seam Abandoned 1986
Bute Seam Abandoned 1986
7’-0” Seam Abandoned 1984
5’-0”/Gellideg Seam Abandoned 1988