Albion Colliery

Overview

A large coal mine at Cilfynydd, near Pontypridd, sunk 1884-87 by the Albion Steam Coal Company and worked until 1966. It is overwhelmingly notable for the firedamp and coal-dust explosion of 23 June 1894, which killed 290 men and boys — the second-worst death toll of any British colliery disaster after Senghenydd. The site is now occupied by Pontypridd High School and an industrial estate; a memorial to the eleven unidentified victims stands at St Mabon's churchyard, Llanfabon.

History

Sinking began in 1884 on land formerly part of Ynyscaedudwg Farm; six men were killed during the sinking itself, in March and November 1886. Two shafts, each 19ft in diameter and sunk 33 yards apart, reached a depth of 646 yards, and the colliery officially opened in August 1887 under the Albion Steam Coal Company Ltd. Average weekly output reached 12,000 tons, said at the time to be the largest for any single-shaft colliery in South Wales, and the workforce grew rapidly — from around 1,500 in 1893 to a peak of 2,589 in 1908 — with the surrounding village of Cilfynydd growing to over 3,000 people. On 23 June 1894 the colliery was the scene of one of Britain's worst mining disasters — see Disasters, below. A second, smaller explosion on 10 November 1906, caused by a lamp spark igniting gas, killed a further six men. Ownership passed from the Albion Steam Coal Company (liquidated 1928) to the Powell Duffryn Company and then, on nationalisation in 1947, to the National Coal Board. The colliery closed in September 1966, 72 years after the disaster. The site is now occupied by Pontypridd High School and the Albion Industrial Estate; several streets in Cilfynydd still carry the 'Albion' name.

Abandoned workings can be dangerous — unstable ground, uncapped shafts, flooding and bad air are common even where a site looks safe from the surface. This entry describes history and general location only; it is not an access guide.

Disasters & major incidents

• Albion Colliery explosion, 1894
  23 June 1894 · Explosion · 290 fatalities
  A firedamp and coal-dust explosion tore through Albion Colliery on 23 June 1894, killing 290 men and boys — the second-worst death toll of any British colliery disaster after Senghenydd in 1913.

Recorded claims

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

• Sinking began in 1884, with six men killed during the sinking itself in March and November 1886; the colliery officially opened in August 1887, its two shafts 19ft in diameter and 646 yards deep. ^1,2
• A second, smaller explosion on 10 November 1906, caused by a lamp spark igniting gas, killed six men. ²
• The colliery closed in September 1966, 72 years after the 1894 disaster. ^1,2
• The BGS/Coal Authority mine plans catalogue holds a plan for the Yard and Seven Feet, No. 4 Seam at Albion Colliery. ³

Images

Sources

1. (secondary) Albion Colliery — Wikipedia
2. (secondary) Albion Colliery, Cilfynydd — Welsh Coal Mines
3. (primary) Albion Colliery mine plan record — British Geological Survey / Coal Authority mine plans catalogue

Record created: 26 August 2026 · Last researched: 26 August 2026