Penllwyngwent Colliery Deaths

Cory Brothers and Company Ltd. entered into the Ogmore Valley by way of a lease of the Aber Colliery from the Aber and Ynysawdre Colliery Company Ltd. in 1887. At a meeting of the Cory Brother’s Company directors on 19th October 1893 it was resolved that:

“… The Company ratify and adopt the Contract date of 18th October 1893 entered into by Mr. James Barrow on their behalf for the purchase of the Aber Colliery Company Ltd.”

At that time the Aber Colliery was working the No. 3 Rhondda house coal seam from the Aber drifts.

Cory Brothers purchased the Wyndham Colliery from North’s Navigation Collieries Ltd. in 1906 and continued working the high quality dry steam coal seams of the Lower Coal Measures there.

The company was anxious to develop the valuable steam coal seams in the lower part of the Ogmore Valley by gaining access to them by sinking shafts near the Aber Colliery. However, the company decided that a cheaper option was to drive a drift [the “A” Drift] from the base of Mynydd-yr-Aber to connect with one of the old roadways in the No. 3 Rhondda workings from their Aber Colliery, which extended eastwards to the Aber Fault.

This fault had an up throw of 130 yards towards the east. In 1906 the old roadway was enlarged and repaired to form the “A” Drift; it followed the gradient of the No. 3 Rhondda old workings dipping to the east at 1 in 11.

The lower steam coal seams were then accessed by driving a steeply inclined drift down to reach them. This second drift was called the “B” Drift; it dipped downwards at 1 in 3.

The “B” Drift gave access to the Pentre seam, [a semi bituminous coal which was soon in high demand for the Midlands potteries industries] and the Two Feet Nine steam coal seam which was worked extensively. Other drifts were driven down to the Six Feet seam and the Lower New seam; the Six Feet seam was very disturbed and was not worked extensively, but the Lower New seam was extensively mined.

The coal was brought to the surface along the “A” Drift by an endless rope haulage 1100 yards long powered by a 275 h.p. electrical haulage situated at the surface; it was reputedly the longest endless rope haulage in South Wales collieries.

The first coal conveyors in the valley [shaker conveyors] were installed in the Pentre seam in the 1920’s.

The ventilation of Penllwyngwent Colliery was provided by an electric fan installed in the main Aber Colliery drift which became the upcast or return drift connected to the old No.3 Rhondda roadways and thence down a “C” Drift inclined at 1 in 2 to the workings below.

Penllwyngwent Colliery ceased working on 7th February 1969.