Gelli Nedd Colliery

Also known as	Gellinedd Colliery
Location	Near Pontardawe, Swansea Valley, Neath Port Talbot
Commodity	Coal
Type	Coal
Worked	By 1893–After 1911
Maximum depth	Unknown.
Operators	Gellinedd Colliery Co. (1896–1911)

Overview

A small level near Pontardawe worked from 1893 by the executors of David Davies and then the Gellinedd Colliery Company, with up to 17 men, still on the coalfield map in 1911.

History

Gelli Nedd Colliery was a small level near Pontardawe in the Swansea Valley, about 200 yards south of the Waun-y-Coed Level, probably working the Graigola seam. It first appears in 1893, owned by the executors of David Davies of Pontardawe, with seven men underground.

By 1896 the Gellinedd Colliery Company of Pontardawe owned it, employing 10 men underground and 7 on the surface. It employed 10 in 1899 and 12 in 1900, but none in 1901; it was working again by 1906, and in December that year John Thomas, a 20-year-old collier from Rhyddyfro, was knocked down by a journey of trams at the colliery, had his right leg crushed, and died in Swansea Hospital after it was amputated.

Nine men worked there in 1910, and the colliery is shown, still owned by the Gellinedd Colliery Company, on the 1911 map of the coalfield.

Geology

Probably the Graigola seam.

Workings

A level about 200 yards south of the Waun-y-Coed Level, with tram journeys underground.

Closure

Last recorded on the 1911 coalfield map; idle in 1901.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Recorded claims

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

First recorded in 1893, owned by the executors of David Davies of Pontardawe, with seven men underground. ¹
In 1896 the Gellinedd Colliery Company employed 10 men underground and 7 on the surface. ¹
In December 1906 John Thomas, a 20-year-old collier, was knocked down by a journey of trams at the colliery and died after his leg was amputated. ²
Shown on the 1911 map of the coalfield, still owned by the Gellinedd Colliery Company. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Small Collieries in the Pontardawe Area (NMRS) (reference)

The Northern Mine Research Society's roundup, with the Gelli Nedd entry.

View source

Sources

(primary) Small collieries in the Pontardawe area — Northern Mine Research Society
(primary) Accidents in the District: Death Follows Amputation (Weekly Mail, 15 December 1906) — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)

Record created: 15 September 2026 · Last researched: 9 October 2026