Brynglas Colliery

Overview

A small private anthracite mine east of Gwaun-cae-Gurwen that worked the Red Vein from 1964 under a run of owners until a new drift missed the coal and it closed in 1993.

History

Brynglas (Bryn Glas) Colliery was a small private mine east of Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, its nearest neighbour the newer Wernbwll mine. It worked the Red Vein by hand, with the drams hauled to the surface by engine.

It was opened in 1964 by B. Jones and I. David, and worked from 1965 to 1980 by the Brynglas Colliery Company. It then passed through a series of owners: the Hungarian Lucateyni Mining Company in 1980-81, the Brynglas Mining Company from 1981 to 1989, Allied Anthracite Mining Ltd from 1989 to 1991, and in 1992 Merrystone Ltd.

Merrystone invested in the mine, driving a 16-foot arched drift between the old airway and the new Wernbwll mine and installing a supply-road conveyor, but, possibly through a surveying error, the drift missed the coal. The last coal was mined on 7 May 1993 and the colliery was abandoned that summer, with fifteen to twenty years of coal said to be left. When the workforce were asked to carry on with development work unpaid and refused, they were dismissed, and later won their redundancy money at a tribunal.

Geology

The Red Vein.

Workings

A drift worked by hand, with engine haulage of drams; a 16-foot arched drift was driven in 1992-93 towards the new Wernbwll mine.

Closure

The last coal was mined on 7 May 1993 after a new drift missed the seam, and the colliery was abandoned that summer.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

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 colliery was abandoned on 3 July 1993. (disputed) ¹
• The Red Vein workings were abandoned on 3 August 1993. (disputed) ²

Recorded claims

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

• Brynglas worked the Red Vein by hand-got methods. ^1,2
• It was opened in 1964 by B. Jones and I. David. ¹
• A new drift driven by Merrystone Ltd missed the coal, possibly through a surveying error. ¹
• The last coal was mined on 7 May 1993. ¹
• The colliery was abandoned on 3 July 1993. (disputed) ¹
• The Red Vein workings were abandoned on 3 August 1993. (disputed) ²

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: Other small mines — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: BRYNGLAS COLLIERY, Red Vein, abandoned 3 August 1993 — British Geological Survey

Record created: 10 October 2026 · Last researched: 10 October 2026