Nant Hir No. 2 Colliery, Seven Sisters, South Wales
Mining of minerals has gone on in Wales since before the Romans, who were attracted to its gold, copper and lead, and it is thought that coalmining also took place during their time. The coal mining industry burgeoned throughout the Industrial Revolution and into the 19th century, when shafts were sunk to complement the open cast mining and drift mining already exploiting the ample and obvious coal resources.
In the years following the 1984-85 Miners Strike, only two deep mines remained working in Wales. With the official closure of Tower Colliery on 25th January 2008, underground coaling in Wales resting with two large drift mines - Unity and Aberpergwm - and several other small private mines.
Unity went in liquidation in October 2013 and mining was suspended at Aberpergwn on the 3rd July 2015. This left a handful of the small private mines to carry on the tradition of underground coal mining in Wales, of which Nant Hir No. 2 Colliery was one.
On Wednesday, the 21st December 2016, the last dram of coal was hauled at Nant Hir bringing to an end, for the first time since the 18th century, of continuous underground coaling in Wales. All the mines had closed.
History
Nant Hir No. 2 was the most easterly of a string of small mines situated in forestry, accessed via a forest road, to the east of Seven Sisters. It was developed beside the site of the previously Nant Hir Colliery. The licence area was 27.8 hectares and the seams in licence were the Red Vein, Lower Pinchin and Lower Welsh. Workings were in the Red Vein seam.
At the height of production, there were 22 employees which included a Manager, Health & Safety / Ventilation Officer, Surveyor, craftsmen and 2 production shifts a day. The mine was in seam (Red Vein anthracite, 0.85m take) with a Celtic Miner 1500 and driving / repairing the return with a Celtic Miner 4500. Roof control in use was wooden posts and C section roof bars and haulage was direct hydraulic haulage of 5 drams on track. The coal, approx. 250 tonnes a week, was taken directly to a washery in Brynamman.
Mining was never easy at Nant Hir No. 2 because of water ingress problems. Bad water ingress problems. Water was pumped from the mine 24/7 and if the pumps failed, the workings would be flooded to both the intake and return drifts within 16 hours. In the end, pumping costs and a top heavy wage bill, considering the cream of the output was taken off by another company, did for Nant Hir No. 2.
1. Energy past meets energy present with overview of the mine.
2. Tippler
3. Stockpile of props
4. Panzer and intake drift
5. Intake drift, sadly flooded and drammed
6. Runaway barrier and return drift
7. Return drift
8. In the return...
9. ...but flooded pretty quickly
10. View of the drifts from the tippler
11. Haulage engine
12. Miners Mess
13. Check tally board
14. Self rescuers
15. The price of coal ?
So was Nant Hir No. 2 the last working mine in Wales ?
Yes and no. Yes, in that for a period of about 4 months after it closed, there was no underground coal mining in Wales so the continuous sequence was broken for the first time in over 200 years. No, in that another small mine allegedly came off care and maintenance in April 2017 and began producing again.
Thanks for looking.
Mining of minerals has gone on in Wales since before the Romans, who were attracted to its gold, copper and lead, and it is thought that coalmining also took place during their time. The coal mining industry burgeoned throughout the Industrial Revolution and into the 19th century, when shafts were sunk to complement the open cast mining and drift mining already exploiting the ample and obvious coal resources.
In the years following the 1984-85 Miners Strike, only two deep mines remained working in Wales. With the official closure of Tower Colliery on 25th January 2008, underground coaling in Wales resting with two large drift mines - Unity and Aberpergwm - and several other small private mines.
Unity went in liquidation in October 2013 and mining was suspended at Aberpergwn on the 3rd July 2015. This left a handful of the small private mines to carry on the tradition of underground coal mining in Wales, of which Nant Hir No. 2 Colliery was one.
On Wednesday, the 21st December 2016, the last dram of coal was hauled at Nant Hir bringing to an end, for the first time since the 18th century, of continuous underground coaling in Wales. All the mines had closed.
History
Nant Hir No. 2 was the most easterly of a string of small mines situated in forestry, accessed via a forest road, to the east of Seven Sisters. It was developed beside the site of the previously Nant Hir Colliery. The licence area was 27.8 hectares and the seams in licence were the Red Vein, Lower Pinchin and Lower Welsh. Workings were in the Red Vein seam.
At the height of production, there were 22 employees which included a Manager, Health & Safety / Ventilation Officer, Surveyor, craftsmen and 2 production shifts a day. The mine was in seam (Red Vein anthracite, 0.85m take) with a Celtic Miner 1500 and driving / repairing the return with a Celtic Miner 4500. Roof control in use was wooden posts and C section roof bars and haulage was direct hydraulic haulage of 5 drams on track. The coal, approx. 250 tonnes a week, was taken directly to a washery in Brynamman.
Mining was never easy at Nant Hir No. 2 because of water ingress problems. Bad water ingress problems. Water was pumped from the mine 24/7 and if the pumps failed, the workings would be flooded to both the intake and return drifts within 16 hours. In the end, pumping costs and a top heavy wage bill, considering the cream of the output was taken off by another company, did for Nant Hir No. 2.
1. Energy past meets energy present with overview of the mine.
2. Tippler
3. Stockpile of props
4. Panzer and intake drift
5. Intake drift, sadly flooded and drammed
6. Runaway barrier and return drift
7. Return drift
8. In the return...
9. ...but flooded pretty quickly
10. View of the drifts from the tippler
11. Haulage engine
12. Miners Mess
13. Check tally board
14. Self rescuers
15. The price of coal ?
So was Nant Hir No. 2 the last working mine in Wales ?
Yes and no. Yes, in that for a period of about 4 months after it closed, there was no underground coal mining in Wales so the continuous sequence was broken for the first time in over 200 years. No, in that another small mine allegedly came off care and maintenance in April 2017 and began producing again.
Thanks for looking.
