Pantyffynnon Colliery

Pantyffynnon 623115

In 1858/60 a Daniel Perry and Company owned a Pant Ffynon mine and in 1865/70 Pant-y-Ffynon was owned by David Lloyd.

A Pantyffynnon slant abandoned the Upper Pumpquart seam prior to November 1874, it worked the Middle seam around 1866 when it was owned by John Lloyd, and was owned in 1886 by the Lloyd Brothers and managed by John Lloyd. It also worked the Little Seam and abandoned an unnamed seam in 1890. The Pantyffynnon Rocket slant abandoned the Yard seam in 1904. In 1887 it was still owned by the Lloyd Brothers of Pontyclerc and was managed by John Lloyd. In 1893 it was owned by the Pantyffynnon Anthracite Colliery Syndicate Limited of London but is listed as ‘standing’.

In 1901 this colliery was described as consisting of the Slant which was working the Rocket seam, and the Pit, which was 45 feet deep and 8 feet in diameter, was working on the pillar and stall system with naked lights still being used. Ventilation of the mine was by a furnace.

A Pantyffynnon anthracite slant was opened in 1902 by the Blaina Colliery Company Limited approximately half a mile to the east of Wernos Colliery. It was later owned by the Blaina and Raven Anthracite Company Limited which absorbed into Henderson’s Welsh Anthracite Collieries Limited of Gresham Street, London. Under their control manpower at this colliery increased from 138 in 1913 to 76 on the surface and 362 men underground in 1935.

In 1907/8 it was managed by George Roblings and worked the Upper Pumpquart, Little Vein and Rock seams. In 1916/19 it was managed by W.T. Thomas, in 1927 by William Thomas and in 1945 by T.E. Watkins. In August 1928 the colliery was closed until the workmen accepted reduced rates of pay in January 1929.

At 2pm on the 28th of January 1908 in the No.1 East Level of the Upper Pumpquart seam, William Roberts and Gwillym Griffiths were killed and another four miners were injured. On the 5th of June 1913, Thomas Rees, aged 18 years and a rider, died After sending two trams attached to a rope up a dip, the last one ran back and killed him. 11th of December 1914, William Mathews, aged 62 years and a repairer died under a fall of the roof.

Henderson’s Welsh Anthracite Collieries Limited was based at 81, Gresham Street, London and its directors were; Sir A Cope, Sir D.R. Llewellyn, Thomas H Henderson, T.P. Cook, D. Thomas, W. Peglar and W. Slark. At that time (1934) it controlled ten collieries that employed 2,714 miners. In 1943 this mine employed 373 men underground and 91 men on the surface and was working the Stanllyd, Upper Pumpquart and Rock Vein seams.

This Slant was driven 500 yards before it hit the Stanllyd seam which averaged a thickness of 78 inches. The Rock seam averaged a thickness of 60 inches, while the Brynlloi seam was worked for training purposes only.

On Nationalisation of the Nation’s coal mines in 1947, Pantyffynnon Colliery was placed in the National Coal Board’s, South Western Division’s, No.1 (Swansea) Area, and at that time employed 117 men on the surface and 341 men underground working the Stanllyd, Upper Pumpquart, Rock, Brynlloi and Lower Pumpquart seams. The manager was A.R. Trow. By this time its ventilation system was used in conjunction with the Jubilee Slant, and it was the site of central workshops. The manager in 1953 was H. Stephens.

In 1954/55 this colliery was one of 42 that caused concern to both the NUM and the NCB over the high level of accidents.

In February 1954 the main engine for the slant was converted from steam to a 700 hp electrical powered engine that could haul 7 x 17 tons journeys per hour at a rate of 12.5 mph. Men were raised/lowered at 6.25 mph. The length of this slant was 1,000 yards and it dipped at a rate of 1 to 2.1 to 1 to 5.5.

In 1955 out of the total colliery manpower of 485 men, 248 of them worked at the coalfaces. In 1956 the coalface figure was 252 men, and in 1958 it was 200 men. In 1961 there were 348 men working at this colliery with 139 of them deployed to the coalfaces.

In 1957 the NCB reconstructed this mine to give it another 25 years of production. Due to a shortage of men the Saron, Gelliceidrim and Llandebie collieries were closed and the men transferred to this and other long-life mines.

In 1961 Pantyffynnon Colliery was in the No.9 (Neath) Area’s, No.5 Group, along with Cwmgorse, Ammanford, Wernos, East and Abernant collieries. The total manpower for this Group was 2,838 men, while the total coal production for that year was 485,647 tons. The Group Manager was E.G. Maggs, and the Area Manager was C. Round.

In April 1968 this colliery was placed on the NCB’s Jeopardy (Closure) list with the NCB expressing concern over the high absentee levels at the colliery, quoting an absence of 39.4% in March 1968. Pantyffynnon Colliery was closed by the National Coal Board on the 31st of January 1969.

Some Statistics:

• 1902: Manpower: 38.
• 1905: Manpower: 164.
• 1907: Manpower: 269.
• 1909: Manpower: 348.
• 1910: Manpower: 476.
• 1911: Manpower: 460.
• 1912: Manpower: 257
• 1913: Manpower: 138.
• 1915: Manpower: 360.
• 1916: Manpower: 354.
• 1919: Manpower: 450.
• 1920: Manpower: 450.
• 1923: Manpower: 553.
• 1924: Manpower: 595.
• 1926: Manpower: 556.
• 1927: Manpower: 613.
• 1928: Manpower: 615.
• 1929: Manpower: 600.
• 1930: Manpower: 438.
• 1931/3: Manpower: 460.
• 1934: Manpower: 515.
• 1935: Manpower: 435.
• 1937: Manpower: 563
• 1942: Manpower: 498.
• 1943: Manpower: 464.
• 1944: Manpower: 102.
• 1947: Manpower: 458.
• 1948: Manpower: 456. Output: 70,000 tons.
• 1949: Manpower: 508. Output: 100,000 tons. (with Jubilee).
• 1950: Manpower: 485.
• 1953: Manpower: 555. Output: 106,400 tons.
• 1954: Manpower: 491. Output: 89,000 tons.
• 1955: Manpower: 485. Output: 86,580 tons.
• 1956: Manpower: 511. Output: 85,582 tons.
• 1957: Manpower: 486. Output: 79,045 tons.
• 1958: Manpower: 536. Output: 97,434 tons.
• 1960: Manpower: 601. Output: 122,831 tons.
• 1961: Manpower: 596. Output: 135,708 tons.
• 1965: Manpower: 611.

JUBILEE SLANT

Ammanford, (66563390)

This was an anthracite slant with a vague history and was possibly part of Glanamman Colliery. It was bounded by Wernos Colliery to the north, Ammanford Colliery to the east, Pantyffynnon Colliery to the south and Saron Colliery to the north. It was sunk between 1935 and 1937 to 87.17 metres and employed 43 men in 1937 and 67 men in 1938, and by 1943 it was managed by T.E. Watkins and employed 139 men underground working the Lower Trigloin, Lower Peacock and Brynlloi seams and 26 men working at the surface of the mine. On Nationalisation in 1947 it was listed as being owned by Amalgamated Anthracite Collieries Limited. It was absorbed into Pantyffynnon Colliery in May 1947. There was also a Jubilee Slant at Drefach which was sunk in 1935 and employed 20 men. It was owned by the Drefach Jubilee Colliery Company.

Information supplied by Ray Lawrence and used here with his permission.