Gwaelod-y-Waun Colliery

Also known as	Gwaelodywaun Colliery, Gwaelod-y-Waun Level
Location	East of Aberbargoed, Rhymney valley, Caerphilly — 51.6857, -3.2172 (approximate)
Commodity	Coal
Type	Coal
Worked	Mid 1870s–1950
Maximum depth	Unknown.
Operators	Bevan and Pryce (1878–1889), Gwaelodywaun Colliery Company Ltd (1930–1950)

Overview

A level east of Aberbargoed working the upper and lower Mynyddislwyn seams, opened in the mid-1870s by Bevan and Pryce and linked to coke ovens by an incline tramway; a new adit replaced it in the 1900s, and the colliery worked with a few dozen men until 1950.

History

Gwaelod-y-Waun level, east of Aberbargoed, was opened in the mid-1870s to work the upper and lower Mynyddislwyn seams. Bevan and Pryce owned it in 1878, and it was connected by an incline tramway to coke ovens. It was still theirs in 1889, managed by T. Ellis, but by 1896 Thomas and Son of Blackwood owned it, with 14 men underground and 2 on the surface.

The first level is shown as disused on the 1900 Ordnance Survey map. By 1908 C. Pond owned the colliery and had probably opened a new adit about 300 yards to the south-east, employing 29 men. Harperfield and Williams held it from 1911 to 1915, when Pond took it back; in 1923 he owned and managed it, with 31 men producing gas, coking and house coal from the Mynyddislwyn seams.

The Gwaelodywaun Colliery Company of Govilon owned it from 1930, with 44 men in 1938 and again in 1945 under the manager F. D. Llewelyn. It closed in 1950.

Geology

The upper and lower Mynyddislwyn seams, yielding gas, coking and house coal.

Workings

The original level east of Aberbargoed, with an incline tramway to coke ovens, and a new adit about 300 yards to the south-east by 1908.

Closure

The first level was disused by 1900; the new adit worked on until the colliery closed in 1950.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Nearby mines

Bargoed Colliery — 0.5 miles (0.8 km) NW
Gilfach Colliery — 0.8 miles (1.2 km) SW
Britannia Colliery, Pengam — 0.9 miles (1.4 km) S
Argoed Colliery — 1.1 miles (1.7 km) NE
Darran Colliery — 1.2 miles (2.0 km) W

Straight-line distance, within 9 miles (15 km). Show on the map.

Recorded claims

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

Opened in the mid-1870s; Bevan and Pryce owned it in 1878. ¹
The original level was connected by an incline tramway to coke ovens. ¹
It employed 29 men in 1908 and 44 in 1938. ¹
Gwaelod-y-Waun's Mynyddislwyn workings are recorded on plans with Cwrt Coch and Cwm Crach, and with Rhoswen. ^2,3
The colliery closed in 1950. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Welsh Coal Mines: Gwaelod-y-waun Level (reference)

Owners, managers and manpower from 1878 to the 1950 closure.

View source

Sources

(secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: Gwaelod-y-waun Level, near Aberbargoed — Welsh Coal Mines
(primary) BGS mine plans: Rhoswen, Cwrt Coch, Gwaelodywin, Cwm Crach, Rock, Primrose levels (Mynyddislwyn) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
(primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: GWAELOD-Y-WAUN, CWRT COCH, CWM CRACH (Mynyddislwyn) — British Geological Survey

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