Llanover Colliery

Overview

A single-shaft house-coal pit at Argoed in the Sirhowy valley, worked with Abernant Colliery by the Bargoed Coal Company, then kept as a pumping station to hold back the water from Markham and Oakdale.

History

Llanover Colliery stood on the east bank of the Sirhowy river at Argoed, opposite Abernant Colliery, with Markham about a mile north and Oakdale a little over a mile south. Its name came from Lady Llanover of the Llanover estate. One shaft, 15 feet across, was sunk to 551 feet around 1888 by Christopher Pond to the Brithdir seam, worked at about 1.5 metres. Some accounts date its sinking to 1912.

In 1906 the Bargoed Coal Company, whose managing director was T. C. Kirk of Cardiff, bought it and linked it underground to Abernant. It employed 57 men in 1913 under E. Rosser, 360 in 1916, 476 in 1918 under R. O'Connor and about 500 in 1919 and 1927. In 1923 it and Abernant produced 250,000 tons. On 7 April 1912 the winding rope broke and the cage fell 140 yards, killing two men (see Disasters, below).

Water was the colliery's trouble. About 1929 it stopped producing and was bought by the Markham Steam Coal Company, a Tredegar Iron and Coal Company subsidiary, as a pumping station to protect Markham and Oakdale. Its steam pumps often broke down, the water once rose about 80 feet up the shaft and a diver was employed on repairs. In February 1932 electric Sulzer deep-well pumps of 150,000 gallons an hour each were hung in the shaft from a special gantry.

Geology

Coal Measures of the South Wales Coalfield; the shaft was sunk to the Brithdir (Pontygwaith) seam, a house coal, worked at an average section of about 1.5 metres.

Workings

One shaft, 15 feet in diameter and 551 feet deep, to the Brithdir seam; linked underground to Abernant Colliery and to a level at Hollybush.

Closure

Production ended about 1929; the colliery was then bought by the Markham Steam Coal Company and kept as a pumping station to protect Markham and Oakdale collieries. Another account says it closed in the 1930s.

What remains

Pumping-station buildings and a steel headframe were standing in 2008.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Related mines

• Abernant Colliery (Argoed) — The Bargoed Coal Company linked Abernant and Llanover underground after buying Llanover in 1906; in 1923 they raised 250,000 tons between them.
• Oakdale Colliery — From about 1929 Llanover was kept as a pumping station to stop water from its workings flooding Oakdale.

Disasters & major incidents

• Llanover Colliery cage accident, 1912
  7 April 1912 · Winding / Shaft Accident · 2 fatalities
  Two men died at Llanover Colliery, Argoed, on 7 April 1912 when the winding rope snapped and their cage fell 140 yards to the bottom of the shaft.

What's uncertain

Points where sources disagree or the record could not be settled; both accounts are kept. All open questions in the archive.

• Llanover Colliery at Argoed was sunk in 1912. (disputed) ³
• It employed 472 men in 1923, and with Abernant produced 250,000 tons. (uncertain) ²
• A 1923 report gives 434 men employed, producing from the Pontygwaith (Brithdir) seam. (uncertain) ¹

Recorded claims

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

• One shaft 15 feet in diameter was sunk to 551 feet around 1888 by Christopher Pond, to the Brithdir seam. ^1,2
• Llanover Colliery at Argoed was sunk in 1912. (disputed) ³
• Bought in 1906 by the Bargoed Coal Company, whose managing director was T. C. Kirk of Cardiff, and linked to the neighbouring Abernant Colliery. ^1,2
• It employed 476 men in 1918 (390 below ground, 86 on the surface) under R. O'Connor. ²
• It employed 472 men in 1923, and with Abernant produced 250,000 tons. (uncertain) ²
• A 1923 report gives 434 men employed, producing from the Pontygwaith (Brithdir) seam. (uncertain) ¹
• Closed as a producing pit about 1929 and bought by the Markham Steam Coal Company as a pumping station to protect Markham and Oakdale collieries. ²
• Electric Sulzer deep-well pumps, each able to raise 150,000 gallons an hour, were installed in February 1932. ²
• The water once rose about 80 feet up the shaft and a diver was employed to repair the pumps at the pit bottom. ^1,2
• Pumping-station buildings and a steel headframe were standing in 2008. ⁴

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: Llanover Colliery, Argoed — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Llanover Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society
3. (secondary) Upper Sirhowy Valley Community Woodlands: history — Caerphilly County Borough Council
4. (observational) Llanover Colliery Pumping Station (photograph, 2008) — Geograph Britain and Ireland

Record created: 8 October 2026 · Last researched: 8 October 2026