Killay, Swansea

Killay ( _cy. Cilâ) is the name of a suburb and local government community in Swansea, south Wales. Killay has its own community council. The village is set high above sea level, about 3.5 miles west of Swansea city centre.

The north of the area is mainly residential and is deemed a relatively affluent area for Swansea. The south of the area consists of an unpopulated Common, which is used for grazing and forms part of Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

History of Mining

Formerly known as Killan, the village of Killay evolved as a direct result of the South Wales gas and coal industry.

One of the first companies to mine coal in the region was the Killan Colliery Company, which began operations in 1899. There were two Drifts, with entrances at Penlan and at Penclawdd. The colliery was later to be taken over by Homes And Co in 1908.

By 1918, the mine had grown to be one of the largest in the area employing 654 men, mostly from the nearby village of Dunvant.

In 1923, the mine was producing house coal from the Penclawdd seam and had grown to over 1,500 yards in length. The colliery began supplying fuel to the Grovesend Steel and Tinplate Company in early 1924, and was taken over by the Fuller Group around this time.

The Killan Colliery Disaster

On 27th November 1924, an inrush of water flooded the mine with such terrible force that it tore out the roof. As soon as the news reached the surface, rescuers rushed to the mine from afar to assist several trapped miners. Two bodies were recovered almost instantly, and it soon became apparent that a further eleven men were entombed in the mine.

Pumps were brought in from other mines, and rescuers made frantic attempts to reach the trapped miners. After fifty hours, a call reached the surface to send down ladders because eight men had been located. The men had survived after breathing from an air pocket and were soon to be freed.

Divers were then sent to search for the remaining three men who were still missing without success. It was not until the 1st of January 1925 that their bodies were finally retrieved.

The men who lost their lives in the disaster were:

• Wilfred John (17)
• Willie Goulding (22)
• Charles Evans (30)
• Archie Davis (28)
• Phil Goober (unknown)

The mine would never recover from the disaster, and was to close later that year in 1925.

External links

* [http://www.killay.org.uk/ Killay community council]
*Killay village: gbmapping|SS602928