Gelligaer Colliery

Overview

Thomas Powell's first level at Gelligaer, opened in 1828 as the Gelliargwellt Level, where the future founder of Powell Duffryn began the career that built the largest colliery combine of its day. Sold early to the Worthingtons, it was worked with neighbouring Llancaiach Colliery until both closed in May 1887.

History

Thomas Powell came to Gelligaer in 1828 to open the Gelliargwellt Level, named after the nearby farm and later known as Gelligaer Colliery or Powell's Works. He had worked a mine at Llanhilleth since 1810, and the level began the thirty-five-year career that ended with the combine later known as Powell Duffryn. Powell built a tramroad from the level to join the Llanfabon tramroad at the Wern, giving access to the Glamorganshire Canal two miles to the west, and the colliery was later connected to the Great Western Railway's Taff Vale Extension line at Llancaiach. A three-year depression from 1830 was followed in 1840 by a wage cut and a ten-week strike; a further proposed cut in 1843 brought another strike, and the recruiting of men from Dowlais led to a riotous assembly that needed Captain Napier, the county's chief constable, and his officers. Troubled by ventilation and by water in a pit sunk beside the Nelson bog, Powell sold out early to George Worthington of the neighbouring Llancaiach Colliery, and the Gelligaer Colliery Company then worked the two pits together under the general management of Whitfield Ralph. In 1869 the company installed a Cornish engine, supplied by Loam and Son of Liskeard with Harvey and Company of Hayle at a cost of £2,400, to raise 1,350 gallons a minute from 104 yards at both collieries. A petition to wind up the company was dismissed in 1879, but the problems continued, and in May 1887 the manager was told to close at once; Gelligaer and Llancaiach stopped together. The colliery is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey 25-inch map of 1875, and Coflein records it closed by 1920 apart from New Gelligaer, a re-opened early level adjacent on the east.

Geology

Coal of the Mynyddislwyn seam of the South Wales coalfield, which the adjacent New Gelligaer level worked; there it measured 42 inches of coal, 10 of dirt and 28 of coal.

Geological setting: Sedimentary Beds and Seams (historical documentary reference)

Workings

The Gelliargwellt Level, with a pit later sunk beside the Nelson bog that suffered from poor ventilation and water. A tramroad joined the Llanfabon tramroad at the Wern for the Glamorganshire Canal, and the colliery was later connected to the Taff Vale Extension railway at Llancaiach. From 1869 a Cornish engine pumped the Gelligaer and Llancaiach workings together, 1,350 gallons a minute from 104 yards.

Closure

Closed in May 1887 together with Llancaiach, when the Gelligaer Colliery Company's manager was instructed to close the pits at once after years of water and financial trouble. Coflein records the colliery closed by 1920 apart from New Gelligaer, a re-opened early level to the east, which abandoned the Mynyddislwyn seam in September 1894.

What remains

Unknown.

Unknown.

Related mines

• Llancaiach Colliery — Worked together by the Gelligaer Colliery Company, sharing a Cornish pumping engine from 1869, until both closed in May 1887.

Nearby mines

• Penallta Colliery — 0.7 km E
• Llancaiach Colliery — 1.1 km NW
• Llanbradach Colliery — 2.8 km E
• Universal Colliery — 3.0 km S
• Deep Navigation Colliery — 3.1 km W, Merthyr Tydfil

Straight-line distance, within 15 km. Show on the map.

People

• Captain Napier · official, 1843 — The county's chief constable, called with his officers to the riotous assembly during the 1843 strike.
• Thomas Powell · founder, from 1828 — Opened the Gelliargwellt Level in 1828 and later sold it to George Worthington.
• Thomas Powell · proprietor, from 1828 — via the operator record
• Whitfield Ralph · manager, to 1887 — General manager of the Gelligaer Colliery Company's Gelligaer and Llancaiach pits.

Recorded claims

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

• Thomas Powell arrived in Gelligaer in 1828 to open his Gelliargwellt Level, named after the nearby farm and later known as Gelligaer Colliery or Powell's Works, and built a tramroad from it to join the tramroad at the Wern for the Glamorganshire Canal. ¹
• A wage cut in 1840 brought a ten-week strike; a further proposed cut in 1843 brought another, and the recruiting of workmen from Dowlais led to a riotous assembly that required Captain Napier, the county's chief constable, and a number of his officers. ¹
• Faced with ventilation problems and water in a pit sunk beside the Nelson bog, Powell sold out early to George Worthington of Llancaiach Colliery; the Gelligaer Colliery Company later worked Gelligaer and Llancaiach together under Whitfield Ralph. ¹
• In 1869 a Cornish engine costing £2,400, supplied by Loam and Son of Liskeard with Harvey and Company of Hayle, was installed to raise 1,350 gallons a minute from 104 yards at the Gelligaer and Llancaiach collieries. ¹
• In May 1887 the manager received instructions for the immediate closure of the pit, and Llancaiach and the adjacent Gelligaer colliery ceased to operate. ¹
• Gelligaer Colliery is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey 25-inch map of 1875; it was served by Sir William Smith's Llanfabon Tramroad of 1810, later connected to the GWR Taff Vale Extension at Llancaiach, and was closed by 1920 apart from New Gelligaer, a re-opened early coal level adjacent on the east. ²
• An opencast working named Gelliargwellt Uchaf - Powell's Works, in the Mynyddislwyn seam, has an abandonment plan dated March 1976. ³

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Llancaiach Colliery (Gelligaer, Llancaiach and Top Hill collieries) — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Gelligaer Colliery, Nelson (Coflein NPRN 407031) — Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
3. (primary) Gelliargwellt Uchaf - Powells Works Opencast (Mining Remediation Authority plan SWR2721, via BGS catalogue item 21844494) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

Record created: 18 September 2026 · Last researched: 18 September 2026