MineArchiveRhiwgarn Colliery
| Also known as | Rhigarn Colliery |
|---|---|
| Location | Tonyrefail, Ely Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf — 51.5934, -3.4224 (exact) |
| Commodity | Coal |
| Type | Coal |
| Worked | 1901–December 1912 |
| Maximum depth | Unknown. |
| Operators | Rhiwgarn Colliery Company (1904–1912), Edmunds and Company of Tonyrefail (1906–1910) |
Overview
A small level at Tonyrefail in the Ely Valley that worked the No. 3 Rhondda seam at about 42 inches from 1901 to 1912, never with more than about thirty men.
History
Rhiwgarn was a small level at Tonyrefail in the Ely Valley, working the No. 3 Rhondda seam, there also called the Cilely, extensively at a thickness of around 42 inches. J. Morris and Company opened it in 1901 with two men and held it until 1903; in 1904 it belonged to the Rhiwgarn Colliery Company, and from 1906 to 1910 to Edmunds and Company of Tonyrefail, who employed 14 men underground and three at the surface in 1907 and 28 in 1908. Employment peaked at about 30 in 1910-11, and by 1911 the level was back with the Rhiwgarn Colliery Company. On 18 July 1912 Thomas Gibbs, a 25-year-old collier, was struck by a stone that fell from a hidden slant in the roof, hit the edge of his tram and pinned him to the ground; he died of a fractured spine on 3 December. The company abandoned the No. 3 Rhondda seam in December 1912, and the level closed.
Geology
South Wales Coal Measures: the No. 3 Rhondda seam (locally the Cilely), about 42 inches thick.
Workings
A level (adit) in the No. 3 Rhondda seam.
Closure
The No. 3 Rhondda seam was abandoned in December 1912.
What remains
Unknown.
Redevelopment
Unknown.
Nearby mines
- Cilely Colliery — 0.3 miles (0.4 km) NW
- Collena Colliery — 0.3 miles (0.5 km) SW
- Dinas Isha Colliery — 0.4 miles (0.7 km) NE
- Caerlan Colliery — 0.8 miles (1.3 km) W
- Cymmer Colliery — 1.3 miles (2.2 km) NE
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.
- Rhiwgarn was a small level working the No. 3 Rhondda seam, also called the Cilely, at a thickness of around 42 inches. 1
- It was opened in 1901 by J. Morris and Company, who held it until 1903. 1
- On 18 July 1912 Thomas Gibbs, a 25-year-old collier at Rhiwgarn Colliery, was pinned by a stone that fell from the roof and struck a dram; he died on 3 December. 2,1
- The No. 3 Rhondda seam was abandoned at Rhiwgarn in December 1912. 1,3
- Edmunds and Company of Tonyrefail owned the level from 1906 to 1910, employing 14 men underground and 3 at the surface in 1907. 1
Sources
- (secondary) Rihwgarn Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society
- (secondary) 1912 (fatalities by date) — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) BGS mine plans: Rhiwgarn, No. 3 Rhondda seam, abandoned 1912 — British Geological Survey / Mining Remediation Authority
Record created: 16 October 2026 · Last researched: 16 October 2026