North End Colliery

Near Tonmawr, Afan Valley (814965)

This level was opened in  about 1911 and managed by J. Beamand and employed 60 men in 1913 when it was owned by the North End Colliery Company of Swansea. In 1915/6 it employed 89 men and in 1918 it employed 78 men and was managed by J.H. Pugh in both years.

This company was not a member of the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association. It employed 89 men when it was reformed as the North End Colliery (1920) Limited of Swansea which produced 24,000 tons of coal from this colliery in 1923 with 94 men employed. In 1927 D.H. Pugh was the manager and it employed 97 men.

It is listed again in 1932 when it was owned by Jones and Bevan and had its own washery.

The next listing for this colliery is in 1957/60 when the No.2 North End was operating as a licenced mine and owned by J.P. Bevan of Cwmavon. It was working the Wenallt seam and employed six men underground and 3 men on the surface. In 1969 the No.2 employed 5 men working underground and 3 men at the surface of the mine.

Some statistics:

• 1912: Manpower: 50.
• 1913: Manpower: 60.
• 1915: Manpower: 89.
• 1918: Manpower: 78.
• 1920: Manpower: 89.
• 1923: Manpower: 94.
• 1924: Manpower: 99.
• 1925: Manpower: 97.
• 1927: Manpower: 101.
• 1928: Manpower: 121.
• 1930: Manpower: 107.
• 1959: Manpower: 9.
• 1969: Manpower: 8.

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