The Rhondda Valleys
..............we know the price of coal
Rhondda
Valleys Information and History
By the early 1860's only 4,000 people lived in what we know today as the Rhondda Valley. Even that figure was far in excess of what it had been when the area was known only as Ystradyfodwg. There were by 1860 at least 13 deep mines, and many 'levels'. A level was where a mine was cut into the side of a mountain e.g. and mined horizontally, as opposed to a deep mine, where the miners would descend a shaft. At that time apart from the scattered farms, the only housing existed in those parts of Ystradyfodwg (later named the Rhondda) were where the coal mines had been sunk.
This list will give you some idea of where the men and boys of the Rhondda might have worked. It did not necessarily follow that if you e.g. lived in Ynyshir you worked down an Ynyshir colliery. Many men and boys from Ynyshir in fact worked down the National Colliery in Wattstown. I would be thrilled to receive photographs of Rhondda Collieries (indeed old photographs of anything / anyone in the Rhondda; - please email them here.
Chronological List of Rhondda Collieries:-
Colliery Name
|
Location
|
Opened
|
Closed
|
Dinas Middle
|
Dinas
|
1832
|
1893
|
Ynyshir / Jones Navigational
|
Ynyshir
|
1845
|
1909
|
Cymmer Colliery
|
Porth
|
1847
|
1940
|
Ty Mawr
|
Hopkinstown
|
1848
|
1983
|
Hafod No 1
|
Trehafod
|
1850
|
1933
|
Hafod No 2
|
Trehafod
|
1850
|
1930
|
Coedcae
|
Trehafod
|
1850
|
1929
|
Llwyncelyn
|
Porth
|
1851
|
1895
|
Gyfeillion / Great Western
|
Hopkinstown
|
1851
|
1983
|
Tynewydd
|
Porth
|
1852
|
1901
|
Tylecoch
|
Treorchy
|
1854
|
1895
|
Bute
|
Treherbert
|
1855
|
1926
|
Pentre
|
Ystrad
|
1857
|
1929
|
Pontygwaith / Cynllwyn Du / No 8
|
Tylorstown
|
1858
|
1935
|
Ynysfaio
|
Teherbert
|
1859
|
1947
|
Glamorgan / Scotch Colliery
|
Llwynypia
|
1862
|
1945
|
Ferndale No 1
|
Blaenllechau
|
1862
|
1959
|
Abergorki
|
Treorchy
|
1863
|
1938
|
Bodringallt / Ferndale No 4
|
Ystrad
|
1864
|
1959
|
Tydraw
|
Treherbert
|
1865
|
1959
|
Maindy
|
Ton Pentre
|
1866
|
1948
|
Dare
|
Cwmparc
|
1866
|
1966
|
Parc
|
Cwmparc
|
1866
|
1966
|
Tynewydd
|
Treherbert
|
1866
|
1911
|
Fernhill No 1
|
Blaenrhondda
|
1869
|
1966
|
Fernhill No 2
|
Blaenrhondda
|
1869
|
1966
|
Blaenrhondda
|
Blaenrhondda
|
1869
|
1978
|
Ferndale No 2
|
Ferndale
|
1870
|
1930's
|
Cambrian No 1
|
Clydach Vale
|
1872
|
1966
|
Fernhill No 3
|
Blaenrhondda
|
1872
|
1966
|
Fernhill No 4
|
Blaenrhondda
|
1872
|
1966
|
Fernhill No 5
|
Blaenrhondda
|
1872
|
1978
|
Penrhys No 6
|
Tylorstown
|
1872
|
1936
|
Penrhys No 7
|
Tylorstown
|
1872
|
1936
|
Blaenclydach / Gorki Drift
|
Clydach Vale
|
1875
|
1947
|
Cambrian No 2
|
Clydach Vale
|
1875
|
1966
|
Maerdy No 1
|
Maerdy
|
1875
|
1932
|
Maerdy No 1
|
Maerdy
|
1875
|
1932
|
Tynybedw
|
Pentre
|
1876
|
1933
|
Ferndale No 4
|
Ferndale
|
1876
|
1930's
|
Gelli
|
Pentre
|
1877
|
1962
|
Lady Margaret
|
Treherbert
|
1877
|
1909
|
Standard No 1
|
Ynyshir
|
1877
|
1947
|
Eastern Colliery
|
Gelli
|
1877
|
1937
|
Standard No 2
|
Ynyshir
|
1878
|
1947
|
Naval
|
Penygraig
|
1879
|
1958
|
Bertie / Lewis Merthyr
|
Trehafod
|
1880
|
1958
|
Pwll Mawr / Cwtch / National
|
Wattstown
|
1881
|
1968
|
Trefor / Lewis Merthyr
|
Trehafod
|
1881
|
1958
|
Cambrian No 3
|
Clydach Vale
|
1889
|
1966
|
Ferndale No 5
|
Blaenllechau
|
1889
|
1959
|
Ely
|
Penygraig
|
1892
|
1928
|
Ely
|
Penygraig
|
1892
|
1958
|
Nantgwyn
|
Tonypandy
|
1892
|
1958
|
Maerdy No 3
|
Maerdy
|
1893
|
1940
|
Penrhys No 9
|
Tylorstown
|
1901
|
1960
|
Lady Lewis
|
Ynyshir
|
1904
|
1926
|
Anthony
|
Tonypandy
|
1910
|
1952
|
Glenrhondda No 1
|
Blaencwm
|
1911
|
1966
|
Maerdy No 4
|
Maerdy
|
1914
|
1940
|
Glenrhondda No 2
|
Blaencwm
|
1921
|
1966
|
Maerdy No 3 reopened
|
Maerdy
|
1948
|
1990
|
Maerdy No 4 reopened
|
Maerdy
|
1948
|
1990
|
Some of the closure dates may seem a little misleading, as even though coal was not mined directly from some of the mines listed as closed, coal was still mined via underground links to mines that remained open. A prime example of this being the Lewis Merthyr (Bertie and Trefor), which continued to be mined from the Ty Mawr colliery just down the road in Hopkinstown. Other mines remained open for other reasons, but produced no coal.
There is an excellent new website with high resolution old photos of
the United Kingdom (including the Rhondda Valleys) at
www.oldukphotos.com
If you have any old family photos or pictures of
the towns and villages please scan them in at least 1280 pixels width
and email them here.
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