Llwyncelyn Colliery

Overview

A single-shaft house-coal and coke pit at Porth sunk by David James in 1851, whose owner Edmund Thomas and collier Isaac Pride won the Albert Medal at the Tynewydd rescue of 1877; Lewis Merthyr closed it in 1895.

History

Llwyncelyn Colliery at Porth was sunk in 1851 by David James of Merthyr, after the success of his Porth Colliery of 1845. Its single shaft struck the No. 3 Rhondda seam at 305 feet 4 inches and worked it extensively at 31 to 36 inches; the Forest Fach seam was also worked. It produced house coal and coke from its own ovens and was served by the Taff Vale Railway, with sidings for 62 wagons.

In 1869 it belonged to Christopher James and Co., and by 1876 to Edmund Thomas. In April 1877 Thomas was one of the men who rescued the miners trapped by the inundation at Tynewydd Colliery nearby, and was awarded the Albert Medal (second class); Isaac Pride, a collier at Llwyncelyn, received the Albert Medal (first class) for the same rescue.

In 1891 the colliery passed to the Lewis Merthyr Coal Co. Ltd. of Hafod, near Pontypridd, which closed it in April 1895. Its workings appear on the later plans of the Lewis Merthyr group.

Geology

Coal Measures of the South Wales Coalfield. The No. 3 Rhondda seam, 31 to 36 inches thick at 305 feet 4 inches, and the Forest Fach seam (6 inches of coal, 7 of dirt, 12 of coal), for house coal and coke.

Workings

A single shaft to the No. 3 Rhondda seam, with coking ovens at the surface and sidings on the Taff Vale Railway.

Closure

Closed in April 1895 by the Lewis Merthyr Coal Co. Ltd., which had owned it since 1891.

What remains

Unknown.

Redevelopment

Unknown.

Related mines

• Lewis Merthyr Colliery — The Lewis Merthyr company owned Llwyncelyn from 1891 and closed it in 1895; its workings appear on the Lewis Merthyr group's plans.

Recorded claims

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

• Sunk in 1851 by David James, whose earlier Porth Colliery had been a success. ^1,2
• Llwyncelyn Colliery worked from 1851 to 1895. ³
• The single shaft struck the No. 3 Rhondda seam at 305 feet 4 inches, worked at 31 to 36 inches. ¹
• It produced house coal and coke from its own coking ovens, and had Taff Vale Railway sidings for 62 wagons. ¹
• Owned in 1869 by Christopher James and Co. and by 1876 by Edmund Thomas. ¹
• Edmund Thomas was awarded the Albert Medal (2nd class) and Isaac Pride, a Llwyncelyn collier, the Albert Medal (1st class) for the Tynewydd colliery rescue of 1877. ¹
• In 1891 it passed to the Lewis Merthyr Coal Co. Ltd. of Hafod, which closed it in April 1895. ¹
• Its workings appear on a combined plan of the Lewis Merthyr, Lady Lewis, Llwyncelyn and Coedcae collieries in the Upper Four Feet. ⁴

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Welsh Coal Mines: Llwyncelyn Colliery — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (secondary) Porth — Wikipedia
3. (secondary) Historic Landscape Characterisation: Rhondda, area 001 (Porth, Cymmer and Dinas) — Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
4. (primary) BGS mine plan: Lewis Merthyr, Lady Lewis, Llwyncelyn, Coedcae (Upper Four Feet) — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority

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