Aber Colliery

Overview

A drift mine at Tynewydd in the Ogmore valley, opened in 1865 and later the most southerly of Cory Brothers' four collieries there, where five men died when gas ignited in 1888 after the fan had been stopped for the weekend.

History

Aber Colliery lay at Tynewydd, Ogmore Vale, the most southerly of the four mines that Cory Brothers came to hold in the valley, with Cwmfuwch, Penllwyngwent and Wyndham. It was opened as a drift in 1865; Welsh Coal Mines has it working the No. 3 Rhondda seam from the start, while the Northern Mine Research Society puts the first drift on the outcrop of the No. 2 Rhondda, with a second drift into the No. 3 about 1886. Its take ran from Nantymoel in the north to Blackmill in the south, in seams of 28 to 42 inches. Nicholson and Taylor held it between 1865 and 1870, the Aber Coal Company in 1883, the Aber and Ynisawdre Coal and Coke Company in 1884 and the Aber Colliery Company from 1886. It produced house coal, and its 20-foot Waddle fan was stopped on Saturday afternoons and not restarted until nine on Sunday night.

Gas ignited in May 1888 and killed five men (see Disasters, below). The No. 2 Rhondda slant was closed in 1894, and by 1896 Cory Brothers owned the colliery with about forty to fifty men, putting in a 40-foot Waddle fan. It grew to 321 men in 1900, then fell to 174 in 1908 and to a few dozen by 1911; in 1913 the men struck for five months and petitioned the King. Its No. 3 Rhondda workings were abandoned in May 1914, though a handful of men are listed there into the 1920s and Cwmfuwch's coal continued to be screened and loaded at Aber's sidings. Eighteen men were killed at the colliery over its working life.

Geology

South Wales coalfield, Ogmore valley: the No. 2 Rhondda (33 to 42 inches) and No. 3 Rhondda (28 to 36 inches) seams, worked by drift.

Workings

Two drifts, into the No. 2 Rhondda (closed 1894) and the No. 3 Rhondda (from about 1886); screens and sidings later used for Cwmfuwch Colliery's coal.

Closure

The No. 2 Rhondda slant closed in 1894 and the No. 3 Rhondda workings were abandoned in May 1914; a few men were still listed into the 1920s.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Disasters & major incidents

• Aber Colliery explosion, 1888
  14 May 1888 · Explosion · 5 fatalities
  Gas that had gathered while the fan stood idle over the weekend ignited at Aber Colliery, Ogmore Vale, on 14 May 1888, killing five of the seven men who had gone in, when the men followed the fireman in instead of waiting while he examined the workings.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• The drift was opened to work the No. 3 Rhondda seam. (disputed) ¹
• The original drift worked the No. 2 Rhondda seam from its outcrop, and a second drift into the No. 3 Rhondda was driven about 1886. (disputed) ²
• Aber Colliery closed in 1914. (disputed) ^1,5
• Men were still listed at Aber into the 1920s: 20 in 1920 and 10 in 1922-24. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.

• Aber Colliery was opened as a drift in 1865. ^1,2
• The drift was opened to work the No. 3 Rhondda seam. (disputed) ¹
• The original drift worked the No. 2 Rhondda seam from its outcrop, and a second drift into the No. 3 Rhondda was driven about 1886. (disputed) ²
• Nicholson and Taylor held the colliery from 1865 to 1870, and Cory Brothers owned it by 1896. ^1,2
• The manager and undermanager were fined £10 and £5 under the Mines Act. ³
• In 1900 the colliery employed 321 men. ²
• The No. 2 Rhondda workings were abandoned in 1894. ^2,4
• Aber Colliery closed in 1914. (disputed) ^1,5
• Men were still listed at Aber into the 1920s: 20 in 1920 and 10 in 1922-24. (disputed) ²

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Aber Colliery Ogmore Vale (Welsh Coal Mines) — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Aber Colliery (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (secondary) Aber Colliery Fire, Ogmore Vale, 1888 (Northern Mine Research Society) — Northern Mine Research Society
4. (primary) BGS mine plan: Aber, No. 2 Rhondda, 1894 — British Geological Survey
5. (primary) BGS mine plan: Aber (Penllwyn Gwent), No. 3 Rhondda, 1914 — British Geological Survey

Record created: 6 October 2026 · Last researched: 6 October 2026