Erskine Colliery

Overview

A group of levels in the Mynyddislwyn seam above Llanhilleth, opened in 1927, closed by the National Coal Board in June 1947 and reopened within months as the Pen Mynydd licensed mine, which worked until 1974.

History

Erskine Colliery was a group of levels on the eastern side of the valley above Llanhilleth, started in 1927 by the Erskine Colliery Co. Ltd. It worked the top and bottom leaves of the Mynyddislwyn seam through a series of levels, Nos. 1 to 3 and Jenny Nos. 1 and 2; two new levels opened in 1938 replaced the older ones. At its peak it employed more than 50 men, but there were 19 in 1938 and 30 in 1945, when it produced 4,328 tons.

In 1947 the colliery consisted of a coal adit, an intake called Jenny Level in the lower Mynyddislwyn, and a return adit in the upper Mynyddislwyn. The National Coal Board closed it on 7 June 1947, after an output of 5,808 tons; the Upper and Lower Mynyddislwyn workings were abandoned that year.

In September 1947 the Pen Mynydd Colliery Co. reopened it as a licensed mine under the name Pen Mynydd. In 1957 it produced 3,465 tons with 14 men, and its remaining reserves were estimated at 76,100 tons in 1964. It changed hands several times before it finally closed in April 1974.

Geology

The upper and lower leaves of the Mynyddislwyn seam.

Workings

Levels Nos. 1 to 3 and Jenny Nos. 1 and 2; in 1947 a coal adit, the Jenny Level intake in the lower Mynyddislwyn and a return adit in the upper.

Closure

Closed by the National Coal Board on 7 June 1947 and reopened as Pen Mynydd in September 1947; finally closed in April 1974.

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.

• A licensed-mine plan of December 1980 covers the Swffryd or Sofrydd, Erskine and Cwm-llwy-nau levels in the Mynyddislwyn seam. (uncertain) ⁴

Recorded claims

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

• Started in 1927 by the Erskine Colliery Co. Ltd. ¹
• It worked the Mynyddislwyn seam through Nos. 1 to 3 levels and the Jenny levels. ^1,2
• In 1945 it employed 30 men and produced 4,328 tons. ¹
• The National Coal Board closed it on 7 June 1947; the Upper and Lower Mynyddislwyn workings were abandoned that year. ^1,3
• It was reopened as Pen Mynydd in September 1947 and finally closed in April 1974. ¹
• A licensed-mine plan of December 1980 covers the Swffryd or Sofrydd, Erskine and Cwm-llwy-nau levels in the Mynyddislwyn seam. (uncertain) ⁴

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: Erskine (Pen Mynydd) — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: ERSKINE NO 1 2 & 3 LEVELS SWFFRWD LEVEL, Mynyddislwyn seam — British Geological Survey
3. (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: ERSKINE, Upper and Lower Mynyddislwyn seams, abandoned 1947 — British Geological Survey
4. (primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: SWFFRYD OR SOFRYDD ERSKINE CWM-LLWY-NAU LEVELS (licensed mine), Mynyddislwyn, December 1980 — British Geological Survey

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