Glanamman Colliery

Glanamman, Amman Valley 668131.

This anthracite mine abandoned the Tyllwyd or Middle seam as early as December 1898. In 1900 it was described as having one shaft 144 feet deep and 7 feet in diameter. It was working the Triquart or Tyllwyd seam by the pillar and stall method using naked lights. It was working in 1908/9 when it was owned by the Amman Valleys Collieries Limited of Great St.Helen’s Street, London, and employed 16 men underground and 3 men on the surface, the manager was K.B. Foster. In 1913 it employed 20 men, while in January 1914 it was also called the Tyllwyd or Old Tyllwyd and abandoned the Lower Tyllwyd seam. In August 1928 a new slant was abandoned when it failed to find a workable seam.

The Glanamman Anthracite Collieries Limited of Gloucester Place, Swansea which consisted of D.J. Thomas (Chairman), and Directors, J.H. Thomas, H.T. Rowlands and W.C. Jenkins, was established in 1929 and took control of the colliery and greatly expanded it. Glanamman Colliery was the only holding, and in 1934 it employed 27 men on the surface and 200 men underground producing 60,000 tons of coal from the Middle and Lower seams. It had its own coal preparation plant (washery) and was managed by R. Howells.

In 1940 it employed 210 men and in 1943/5 the manager was D.E. Phillips and it employed 73 men underground working the Middle Tyllwyd seam and 38 men on the surface. This colliery was then owned by the Varteg Anthracite Collieries Limited.

On Nationalisation in 1947 the colliery was placed in the National Coal Board’s, South Western Division’s, No.1 (Swansea) Area, and at that time employed 44 men on the surface and 72 men underground working the Middle Tyllwyd seam. The manager was D.E. Phillips. The Swansea Area of the National Coal Board in 1947 consisted of 40 anthracite, and 20 bituminous mines, and sustained losses of £4,300,000, the biggest working loss of any area in any division of the NCB. Most of the old slants had reached excessive lengths of over one mile and were now to a depth that made it more practicable to operate from new pits. The decision was made to close most of these slants. Glanamman Colliery was one selected for closure, and it was shut on the 31st of January 1948 it employed 300 men on closure.

On the 26th of January 1890, Thomas Llewellyn, a collier, died when he was dragged up to the pulley while ascending the shaft.

Some statistics:

• 1907: Manpower: 7.
• 1908/9: Manpower: 19.
• 1911: Manpower: 21.
• 1912: Manpower: 22.
• 1913: Manpower: 20.
• 1933: Manpower: 171.
• 1934: Manpower: 227.
• 1937: Manpower: 212.
• 1940: Manpower: 210.
• 1943/5: Manpower: 111.
• 1947: Manpower: 116.
• 1948: Manpower: 119.

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