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Merthyr Vale Colliery, 1915.
John Nixon of Nixon's,
Taylor, and Co. (later Nixon's Navigation Coal Co. Ltd.) began sinking the Merthyr Vale No. 1 in 1869. Before
this work could commence the river Taff had to be diverted. The first coal was produced in 1875.Some
years later Merthyr Vale No. 2 was sunk to the same level as No. 1 at 542 yards deep. In the Inspector
of mines list of 1896 there were 1,145 men and boys employed underground at No.1 and 845 underground at
No. 2 with 233 employed on the surface.
In the early 1930's ownership changed hands to the Powell Duffryn
Steam Coal Company who ran it until nationalisation in 1947. At this time there were 1,179 men employed. A
£2million re-organisation in the 1960's involved electrification of the winding-engines, additional coal
preparation and wagon loading facilities and a new underground coal conveying system. During the seventies a
workforce of 600 men produced 257,000 tons yearly from the Seven Feet seam. Merthyr Vale closed on the 25th
of August 1989. It was the spoil from this colliery that avalanched down onto the community of Aberfan on the
21st of October 1966 killing 144 persons, 114 of whom were school children. This
was the saddest day in the history of coal mining.
Information on individual collieries kindly supplied by www.welshcoalmines.co.uk
