MineArchiveDunraven Colliery
| Location | Blaencwm, Rhondda Cynon Taf — 51.6980, -3.5730 (approximate) |
|---|---|
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1865–1966 |
| Maximum depth | No reliable depth figure has yet been located. |
| Operators | David Davis and Sons (1860–1865), Thomas Joseph (1865–1880), Watts and Company (1872–1895), Earl of Dunraven (1895–1896), Cory Brothers Ltd (1913–1947), National Coal Board (1947–1966) |
| Status | Researched |
Overview
A Blaencwm colliery in the Rhondda Fawr, opened around 1865 and passing through a confusing but well-documented succession of owners -- including the Earl of Dunraven himself -- before closure by the National Coal Board in 1966.
History
Dunraven Colliery was opened in Blaencwm, in the upper Rhondda Fawr, around 1865, although some sources place activity there as early as 1856. Its early ownership history is genuinely tangled: David Davis and Sons is recorded as an owner from around 1860 to 1865, Thomas Joseph -- a staunch Baptist from Heolyfelin, Aberdare -- is separately recorded holding the colliery through the mid-1860s to 1880s before it went into liquidation in 1866, and the Dunraven United Collieries Co. Ltd appears in records between 1869 and 1870; sources do not cleanly reconcile how these ownership periods relate to one another. Watts and Company took over in 1872, and the Earl of Dunraven himself is recorded as an owner in 1895-96, before Cory Brothers Ltd purchased the colliery in 1913. Dunraven, alongside the neighbouring Glenrhondda Colliery, was finally closed by the National Coal Board in 1966, and the Blaencwm sites have since been landscaped, leaving little trace of their industrial past.
Workings
No reliable detail on the colliery's own specific underground workings has yet been located.
Closure
Closed by the National Coal Board in 1966 alongside the neighbouring Glenrhondda Colliery; the Blaencwm sites have since been landscaped.
What remains
The site has been landscaped, leaving little trace of its industrial past.
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.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Dunraven Colliery's early ownership is not cleanly documented: David Davis and Sons (c.1860-65), Thomas Joseph (mid-1860s-1880s, with a 1866 liquidation), and the Dunraven United Collieries Co. Ltd (1869-70) all appear in records without a clear reconciliation of how these periods relate. (disputed) 1
- The Earl of Dunraven himself is recorded as an owner of the colliery in 1895-96, before Cory Brothers Ltd purchased it in 1913. 2
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this mine.
Sources
- (secondary) Dunraven Colliery, Rhondda Cynon Taf — Mindat
- (secondary) Blaencwm — Wikipedia
Record created: 1 September 2026 · Last researched: 1 September 2026