Hi everyone,
This is my first report. I’m based in Cardiff and thought I’d check out Cwm Coke works. New to this so forgive the amateur pics and report. At least I’m not posting a generic hello without having visited anywhere.
It seems this is a popular site so here is some history posted before:
There was originally a colliery named "Cwm Colliery" at this site in Beddau, just south of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, that was sunk in 1909.
No coal was actually extracted until 1914, however, and then it came from two shafts, Margaret and Mildred which were over 750 yards deep.
In 1928 the colliery was taken over by Powell Duffryn Associated Colleries Limited, and at this point it employed over 1000 men.
It operated under their name until 1948 when the National Coal Board (NCB) was established to manage the nationalised coal industry in the UK.
The NCB updated the colliery in a massive £9 million redevelopment between 1952 and 1960.
This included connection Cwm (pronounced "Coomb") to Coedely Tonyrefail, and of course building a massive Cokeworks, Cwm Coke.
In the 70s, the cokeworks alone employed 1,500 men and produced some 515,000 tonnes of coke each year. It continued to do so until 1986, when the NCB was privatised.
The colliery ceased production at this point, but the cokeworks were bought buy CPL Industries and continued producing coke right up until 2002.
It would have remained open had it not been for the fact it was extremely outdated, in desparete need of modernisation and no one was willing to invest in new technologies.
I found out that last July, £8m of council funding was secured to clear the site of ground contamination, which would make private development projects viable. The site itself doesn’t appear to have been touched yet, but there was some construction work happening at the back…
For those who haven’t been, the coke works is down a private road. It quiet and the site was deserted. I was looking around for entry points, thinking I could just wander in, but the site is pretty heavily secured with double metal fencing and barbed wire. There were a few sections where the fencing had been cut, but it had been re-sealed with cable ties.
I didn’t have any cutters with me so just kept walking. At the end of the road, I was surprised to find a run-down office. There were half a dozen cars parked outside which surprised me given how derelict the coke works was. I climbed up a hill at the back, thinking maybe I could get in from the other side or something, but there was some construction work taking place with excavators. I didn’t want to poke around with work men in the distance.
Walking back down to the road, I saw a gap in the fencing, which I could have got through, leading to really overgrown area at the back. I was contemplating going through, but just at that moment, a lorry parked outside the office down the road suddenly turned its engine on. I hadn’t realised there was anyone inside but I think they spotted me as they just turned their engine on and sat there until I left.
It was about 11am on a Monday (today) so I guess not the stealthiest time to venture in anyway! There are signs dotted around the outside claiming the site is protected by dogs… Not that I heard or saw any.
I took some pics. It’s a really vast and striking site. There doesn’t appear to be any construction happening so I was kind of surprised by the cars and lorry at the back.
I know these pics are rubbish compared to previous reports but I tried… And hopefully future reports will be better. I have a few other sites I’d like to explore in South Wales and it would be good to connect with others. I'm in the Bristol & Oxfordshire area quite often too.
This is my first report. I’m based in Cardiff and thought I’d check out Cwm Coke works. New to this so forgive the amateur pics and report. At least I’m not posting a generic hello without having visited anywhere.
It seems this is a popular site so here is some history posted before:
There was originally a colliery named "Cwm Colliery" at this site in Beddau, just south of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, that was sunk in 1909.
No coal was actually extracted until 1914, however, and then it came from two shafts, Margaret and Mildred which were over 750 yards deep.
In 1928 the colliery was taken over by Powell Duffryn Associated Colleries Limited, and at this point it employed over 1000 men.
It operated under their name until 1948 when the National Coal Board (NCB) was established to manage the nationalised coal industry in the UK.
The NCB updated the colliery in a massive £9 million redevelopment between 1952 and 1960.
This included connection Cwm (pronounced "Coomb") to Coedely Tonyrefail, and of course building a massive Cokeworks, Cwm Coke.
In the 70s, the cokeworks alone employed 1,500 men and produced some 515,000 tonnes of coke each year. It continued to do so until 1986, when the NCB was privatised.
The colliery ceased production at this point, but the cokeworks were bought buy CPL Industries and continued producing coke right up until 2002.
It would have remained open had it not been for the fact it was extremely outdated, in desparete need of modernisation and no one was willing to invest in new technologies.
I found out that last July, £8m of council funding was secured to clear the site of ground contamination, which would make private development projects viable. The site itself doesn’t appear to have been touched yet, but there was some construction work happening at the back…
For those who haven’t been, the coke works is down a private road. It quiet and the site was deserted. I was looking around for entry points, thinking I could just wander in, but the site is pretty heavily secured with double metal fencing and barbed wire. There were a few sections where the fencing had been cut, but it had been re-sealed with cable ties.
I didn’t have any cutters with me so just kept walking. At the end of the road, I was surprised to find a run-down office. There were half a dozen cars parked outside which surprised me given how derelict the coke works was. I climbed up a hill at the back, thinking maybe I could get in from the other side or something, but there was some construction work taking place with excavators. I didn’t want to poke around with work men in the distance.
Walking back down to the road, I saw a gap in the fencing, which I could have got through, leading to really overgrown area at the back. I was contemplating going through, but just at that moment, a lorry parked outside the office down the road suddenly turned its engine on. I hadn’t realised there was anyone inside but I think they spotted me as they just turned their engine on and sat there until I left.
It was about 11am on a Monday (today) so I guess not the stealthiest time to venture in anyway! There are signs dotted around the outside claiming the site is protected by dogs… Not that I heard or saw any.
I took some pics. It’s a really vast and striking site. There doesn’t appear to be any construction happening so I was kind of surprised by the cars and lorry at the back.
I know these pics are rubbish compared to previous reports but I tried… And hopefully future reports will be better. I have a few other sites I’d like to explore in South Wales and it would be good to connect with others. I'm in the Bristol & Oxfordshire area quite often too.
