Hir Fynydd Colliery

Also known as	Hirfynydd Colliery
Location	Hirfynydd, south-east of Seven Sisters, Dulais Valley, Neath Port Talbot — 51.7471, -3.7056 (approximate)
Commodity	Coal
Type	Coal
Worked	1983–1996
Maximum depth	Unknown.
Operators	G. Williams (1983–1992), Signal Fern Ltd (1993–1996)

Overview

A small licensed level on the 480-metre Hirfynydd hillside above Seven Sisters, worked in the Upper Pinchin seam from 1983 to 1992 and again from 1993 to 1996.

History

Hir Fynydd Colliery was a level on Hirfynydd, a 480-metre hillside south-east of Seven Sisters in the Dulais Valley, near Llwyn Golau Farm and the Heol Hen mine. Many levels had worked the hillside over the years, and a licence was granted there to W. J. Hopkins of Lower Cwmtwrch in July 1977.

This mine worked the Upper Pinchin seam, the coal won by hand: drilled, blasted with explosives and shovelled. It was opened in 1983 by G. Williams and abandoned in February 1992. Signal Fern Ltd of Crynant reopened it in 1993 and closed it again in 1996, its last workings abandoned on 9 January that year.

An aftercare scheme for the site was approved by Neath Council's planning committee in late September 1999.

Geology

The Upper Pinchin seam.

Workings

A level; coal won by drilling, blasting and shovelling.

Closure

Abandoned in February 1992, reopened in 1993 and closed in 1996; an aftercare scheme was approved in 1999.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Nearby mines

Brynteg Colliery — 0.7 miles (1.1 km) NW
Carn Cornel Colliery — 0.7 miles (1.1 km) W
Darrell Colliery — 1.0 miles (1.6 km) W
Bryn-y-Garn Colliery — 1.1 miles (1.8 km) NE
Crugau Colliery — 1.2 miles (2.0 km) S

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.

Hir Fynydd was opened in 1983 by G. Williams. ¹
It worked the Upper Pinchin seam. ^1,2
Its Upper Pinchin workings were abandoned on 22 February 1992. ^1,2
Signal Fern Ltd reopened it in 1993 and closed it in 1996. ^1,3
An aftercare scheme for the site was approved in September 1999. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Welsh Coal Mines: Other small mines (Hir Fynydd Colliery) (reference)

Owners, seams, working methods and closure of this small licensed mine.

View source

Sources

(secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: Other small mines — Welsh Coal Mines
(primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: HIRFYNYDD, Upper Pinchin seam, abandoned 22 February 1992 — British Geological Survey
(primary) BGS / Mining Remediation Authority mine plan: HIRFYNYDD, Upper Pinchin seam, abandoned 9 January 1996 — British Geological Survey

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