Near Resolven, Vale of Neath (841021)

A Ffaldydre and Lefel y Gwydab was opened in 1837 by J.W. Lyon.

This mine was located between Glyncastle Colliery to the north and Garth Merthyr Colliery to the south. It was high up in a small valley offset from the Vale of Neath and to the east of Resolven with the offices and pit head baths located at Resolven. It produced anthracite, house, manufacturing and steam coals, The drift was near the Glyncastle shafts and opened in 1914 to the No.1 Rhondda seam by the Cory Brothers & Company, this seam was 42 inches thick in this area. This company was a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association and advertised:

Cory Brothers & Co. Limited. Colliery Proprietors, and sole shippers of Cory Merthyr Steam Coal and Penrikyber Navigation Steam Coal Cory Brothers & Co., Ltd supply all the principal Lines of Steamers, and are Contractors to the Governments of Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, and Greece. Austria, Brazil, &c. Offices and Agents:- Head Office: Bute Docks, Cardiff. London: Fenchurch Avenue. Glasgow: Buchanan Street. Liverpool: Water Street. Paris: Rue de Is Victoire. Genoa: Via Ponte Reale.

They had 77 depots of coal throughout the world in places such as; Aden, Barbados, Colombo, Fatal, Gibraltar, Havre, Las Palmas, Mombassa, Naples, Oran, Port Said, Rio Grande, Saigon, Tunis, Venice, Zanzibar, Boston and New Orleans. This mine was managed by T. Redshaw in 1916 when it employed 70 men and by W.B. Jones in 1918 when it employed only 11 men underground and 6 men on the surface. Mr. Jones was still there the following year when it employed 284 men and presumably was in full production.

On the 28th of July 1925, Edward Snook, aged 18 years and a collier boy died under a roof fall.

The colliery was listed as temporarily closed in in 1928 being re-opened in 1929, but again it was closed in 1932. It was re-opened in 1937. In 1943/5 it was shown as employing 126 men underground and 58 men on the surface, the manager was R Rosser.

On Nationalisation in 1947 this level was placed in the National Coal Board’s, South Western Division’s, No.1 (Swansea) Area and at that time employed 38 men on the surface and 97 men underground. The manager at that time was R. Rosser. By 1954 it had been re-assigned to the new No.9 (Neath) Area and employed 48 men on the surface and 174 men underground. The manager was now H.R. Davies.

By 1963 the surface haulage engine was used to transport coal out and material in for a distance of 1,000 yards to the main double parting. 150 hp haulage was then used as far as to where the conveyor loaded into trams. From there into the coalface there were four conveyors in use varying in length from 500 yards, 156 yards, 305 yards and 150 yards. The coalfaces were over 1.5 miles in from the mouth of the drift.

Prior to closure on the 28th of September 1963, this level employed 90 men on the coalfaces and 211 men overall. Strangely it was closed because Glyncastle could not retain its manpower and Ffaldydre men were then designated to Glyncastle.

Some Statistics:

  • 1916: Manpower: 70.
  • 1918: Manpower: 17.
  • 1919: Manpower: 284.
  • 1920: Manpower: 296.
  • 1923: Manpower: 403. Output 112,000 tons.
  • 1924: Manpower: 328.
  • 1925: Manpower: 403.
  • 1926: Manpower; 411.
  • 1927: Manpower: 441.
  • 1928: Manpower: 413.
  • 1929: Manpower: 376.
  • 1930: Manpower: 518.
  • 1937: Manpower: 54, underground only.
  • 1938: Manpower: 52, underground only.
  • 1940: Manpower: 800.
  • 1942: Manpower: 620.
  • 1944: Manpower: 160.
  • 1947: Manpower: 135.
  • 1948: Manpower: 136. Output: 40,000 tons.
  • 1949: Manpower: 156. Output: 70,000 tons.
  • 1950: Manpower: 160.
  • 1953: Manpower: 172. Output: 68,200.
  • 1954: Manpower: 222. Output: 68,823 tons.
  • 1955: Manpower: 228. Output: 59,804 tons.
  • 1956: Manpower 226. Output: 71,304 tons.
  • 1957: Manpower: 239. Output: 66,958 tons.
  • 1958: Manpower: 231. Output: 59,088 tons.
  • 1960: Manpower: 207. Output: 45,901 tons.
  • 1961: Manpower: 211. Output: 54,268 tons.

 

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

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