Bedwas Navigation Colliery

Bedwas Navigation Colliery was a coal mine that was located in the small welsh village of Bedwas. Situated 2 miles north of Caerphilly, the colliery opened in 1913 and in 1939 produced 675,000 tonnes of coal in single year.

The colliery closed after the miners' strike of 1984 - 1985.

History

The colliery was designed by Edmund L. Hann and the pit was sunk in 1909. Fred Piggott, a mining contractor from Caerphilly, was responsible for the entire sinking. Fred Piggott was the former owner of a mansion in Caerphilly that is now The Caerphilly and District Miners' Hospital.

Bedwas Colliery was designed with two pits, North and South. Both were over 850 yards deep (More than twice the height from ground to the roof of the Empire State Building). Most coal pits were deep, but the pits at Bedwas were two of the deepest in South Wales.

Sir Samuel Instone, founder of Instone Air Line which would merge into Imperial Airways and later become part of British Airways, became the controlling shareholder in the colliery in 1921. [ [http://www.bedwascolliery.co.uk/History.html History of Bedwas Colliery] ]

Problems in the 1920s and 1930s would cause riots in the village in the latter years. The South Wales Miners' Federation (the main Trade Union) was banned in the earlier years and following the riots, was later recognised again.

On 1 January 1947, along with all other working collieries, Bedwas Navigation Colliery was Nationalised and then remained under the control of the National Coal Board.

Closure

The closure of Bedwas Colliery is closely linked to the miners' strike of 1984 – 1985.

The miners' strike of 1984 – 1985 ended on 9 March 1985. The Western Mail reported in April 1985 the closure of the mine had been accepted by the colliers at Bedwas. The NUM had told the miners not to accept the closure and to fight for its survival. However, The National Coal Board, required by an agreement in October 1984, had to refer any colliery proposed for closure to an independent colliery review process. When the strike was over, the mine was closed due to lack of maintenance during the strike.

The closure finally announced in May 1985 was attributed to geological problems.

At its closure, Bedwas had amongst the largest reserves of coal of any South Wales mine.

Incidents

On 27 March 1912 the sparks from an electric bell caused an explosion underground which killed 3 miners and seriously injured 9 others. The 10 October 1952 saw an explosion of firedamp underground in the Lower Black Vein seam, resulted in the death of one collier and injuries to 19 others. [ [http://www.welshcoalmines.co.uk/Photo.htm Welsh Coal Mines] ]

The colliery today

Following the closure in 1985, the colliery was demolished quickly. Possibly to prevent any chance of it reopening in the future. The various buildings were demolished, but not removed and now the site has decayed to rubble and the overgrowth of nature. It is in stark contrast to the former proud location of the once glorious colliery.

The site has since been inherited by Caerphilly County Borough Council and the face a very awkward situation. To clear the land would cost more than what it is worth and therefore, redevelopment in the near future is unlikely.

A visit to the colliery today is not satisfactory. Stone and rubble fill most of the area and the rest has been left to nature to overgrow. Decaying brickwork and parts of the Trethomas Coke Plant (which was next to the colliery) are still there to be seen. Along with the two platforms, severely camouflaged by overgrown plantlife, from Trethomas railway station that closed in 1961. The railway line that ran to the mine was closed and all that remain are a few rotten railway sleepers, half buried in the ground. A majority of the former railway line has been upgraded to a cycle path. However, this does not run as far as the former site of the colliery.

References