MineArchiveBaglan Hall Colliery
| Also known as | Baglan Park Colliery |
|---|---|
| Location | Baglan, between Briton Ferry and Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot — 51.6204, -3.8135 (exact) |
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1861–November 1887 |
| Maximum depth | 90 yards (82 m) |
| Operators | Edward Thomas and Company (1861–?), Baglan Hall Company (?–1867), Pascoe Grenfell and Sons (1873–1887) |
Overview
The Park mines at Baglan, between Briton Ferry and Port Talbot, opened in 1861 and worked under a run of names and failing owners, as Park, Baglan and finally Baglan Hall Colliery, until they were abandoned in 1887.
History
Baglan Hall Colliery was the name given from 1884 to the Park mines at Baglan, between Briton Ferry and Port Talbot; its main shaft, sunk 90 yards to the Big seam, now lies beneath the A48. The Park mines seem to have started under a lease of 1 January 1861 and were first listed in 1862, worked by Edward Thomas and Company, who also had the neighbouring Swan levels. They passed through Thomas Jenkins to the Baglan Hall Company, which went bankrupt in May 1867; the Baglan Hall Collieries Company Limited, registered that month, went into liquidation seven months later. On 26 November 1866 David Roberts, a 40-year-old foreman, was suffocated by gas there.
Offered for sale in 1868, the collieries stood idle until 1873, when Pascoe Grenfell and Sons reopened them. From 1878 Park was listed as Baglan, in 1881 as Park again, and from 1884 as Baglan Hall. It worked the Big, Big Rider and Baglan seams; in the Park Pit the Big Vein, 72 inches thick and dipping at 45 degrees, was worked northwards for 16 chains from a shaft 70 yards deep. Baglan Hall and Swan were both abandoned in 1887, Baglan Hall in November. The records of the several Baglan pits are tangled, and another working called Baglan or Blaen Baglan lay a little to the east.
Geology
South Wales Coalfield: the Big, Big Rider and Baglan seams; the Big Vein in the Park Pit was 72 inches thick and dipped at 45 degrees.
Workings
A shaft 90 yards deep to the Big seam with other shafts either side and air shafts towards Port Talbot; a 70-yard shaft in the Park Pit worked the Big Vein northwards for 16 chains.
Closure
Abandoned in November 1887, with the neighbouring Swan Colliery.
What remains
The shaft lies beneath the A48 road.
Redevelopment
The A48 road crosses the site.
Nearby mines
- Wern Colliery, Cwmafan — 1.6 miles (2.6 km) NE
- Ynys Dafydd Colliery — 1.7 miles (2.7 km) NE
- Cwmmawr Colliery — 1.7 miles (2.8 km) E
- Eaglesbush Colliery — 2.1 miles (3.4 km) N
- Cwmavon Copper Works — 2.4 miles (3.8 km) E
Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Baglan Hall Colliery was sunk 90 yards to the Big seam. 1,2
- The Park mines started under a lease of 1 January 1861, worked by Edward Thomas and Company. 1,2
- The Baglan Hall Company went bankrupt in 1867; the Baglan Hall Collieries Company held the mines for seven months before liquidation. 1,2
- The collieries were idle until 1873, when Pascoe Grenfell and Sons reopened them. 1,2
- Park was listed as Baglan from 1878, as Park in 1881 and as Baglan Hall from 1884. 1,2
- It worked the Big, Big Rider and Baglan seams and was abandoned in November 1887. 2
- On 26 November 1866 David Roberts, 40, foreman, was suffocated by gas. 2
- The shaft now lies beneath the A48. 1
Sources
- (secondary) Baglan Hall Collieries — Welsh Coal Mines
- (secondary) NMRS: Baglan Park and Swan Collieries — Northern Mine Research Society
Record created: 17 October 2026 · Last researched: 17 October 2026