Gleison Colliery

Pontardawe, Swansea Valley (757064)

This mine was owned in 1913 by the South Wales Primrose Coal Company Limited when it employed 100 men and was managed by J. Standidge.
This company was owned by E.W. Cook and Company who was not members of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association.

In the No.2 Pit the Welsh Vein was struck at a depth of 192 feet 6 inches and was 3 feet thick while the Red Vein was struck at a depth of 313 feet 7 inches and was 3 feet 3 inches thick. Gleison Colliery was worked in conjunction with the Tareni Pits. It employed 213 men in 1915/6 when it was managed by J. Standidge.

No.2 is shown as working in 1917 and employed 200 men in 1919 when managed by T. Slater. In 1923 it was still managed by T. Slater and employed 231 men working underground and 25 m en working at the surface of the mine. It then disappears until 1944 when it employed 500 men and 1945 when it employed 286 men underground and 139 men on the surface, the manager was A. Hudson.

In 1947 it was placed in the National Coal Board’s, South Western Division’s, No.1 (Swansea) Area, and at that time employed 96 men on the surface and 173 men underground working the Upper and Lower Peacock seams. The manager was A. Hudson.

It was closed along with Tareni Colliery in 1949.

Some statistics:

• 1913: Manpower: 100.
• 1915: Manpower: 213.
• 1916: Manpower: 213.
• 1919: Manpower: 200.
• 1920: Manpower: 280.
• 1922: Manpower: 270.
• 1923: Manpower: 236.
• 1924: Manpower: 250 with Tareni.
• 1925: Manpower: 250 with Tareni.
• 1937: Manpower: 44.
• 1938: Manpower: 150.
• 1945: Manpower: 425.
• 1947: Manpower: 269.

This was also the name of a small level that was on the mountain above Tareni. It was worked under license from the National Coal Board in 1960 by D. Mullany, in 1969 by the Gleison Colliery Company of Glyn-neath and employed 11 men.

In 1975/6 it was owned by Slack and James and in 1977 on by Slack and Craven. In 1992 it was owned by Amman Mining Limited and in 1996 by W.H. James. Between 1997 and 2004 it was owned by S & T Fuels. It worked the No.2 Rhondda seam which had a thickness of 36 inches.

On the morning of Thursday the 14th of September 2011, emergency services were called to this mine when an inrush of water trapped four of the seven miners underground at the time. Sadly all four men were eventually found dead.

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