Rose Heyworth Colliery

Overview

An Ebbw Fach valley colliery named after the owner's wife, worked from the 1870s until 1985. It never wound its own coal at the end: from 1959 it and Cwmtillery were joined as the Abertillery New Mine and both pits' coal came up a drift driven between them.

History

Rose Heyworth was sunk by the South Wales Colliery Company, which already held Cwmtillery further up the valley, and it was named after Rosina Kate Heyworth, wife of Lawrence Heyworth, the company's first managing director and a lieutenant colonel in what became the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Welch Regiment. Its earlier name was Rose y Gwartha. Sources put the sinking at 1872 and the first coal at 1874, though a detailed local history dates the sinking tenders to March 1874 and doubts that coal came up before 1876. Many of the men were housed in purpose-built cottages at Clyn Mawr, named for the farm whose land they stood on, later Newtown and finally the Blaenau Gwent Rows. It was never a self-contained pit. For many years it was connected to the South Griffin Colliery further up the Ebbw Fach for pumping and ventilation, Rose Heyworth serving as the downcast and South Griffin No. 3 as the upcast, and it was connected to Cwmtillery as well, which ventilated part of its workings. Lancaster's Steam Coal Company took it over in 1888 and held it until nationalisation in 1947. The Inspector of Mines list for 1896 has 1,625 men at South Wales and Rose Heyworth together, working the Old Coal, Three Quarters, Big and Elled seams. By 1918 Rose Heyworth and Cwmtillery between them employed 2,760. A report of 1923 gives 1,081 men at Rose Heyworth on the Black Vein, Big Vein, Old Coal and Meadow Vein; there were 804 in 1938 and 754 in 1945. In 1959 the two pits were formally joined. A drift was driven 1,200 yards at one in five to bring the coal of both to the surface as the Abertillery New Mine, and Blaenserchan's coal came up the same drift. Rose Heyworth closed in 1985, after the year-long strike over pit closures, with about 450 people still employed.

Geology

The colliery worked the Coal Measures of the eastern South Wales coalfield in the Ebbw Fach valley. The named seams change across the record: the Old Coal, Three Quarters, Big and Elled in 1896, and the Black Vein, Big Vein, Old Coal and Meadow Vein by 1923.

Geological setting: Sedimentary Beds and Seams (well documented example)

Workings

A downcast shaft at Rose Heyworth paired with South Griffin No. 3 as the upcast, and a further connection to Cwmtillery for ventilation. From 1959 the coal of both Rose Heyworth and Cwmtillery was raised through a drift 1,200 yards long at a gradient of one in five, driven as the Abertillery New Mine, which also brought up Blaenserchan's coal.

Closure

The colliery closed in 1985, after the miners' strike of 1984 and 1985. Two closure dates are on record: 9 October 1985, given by Coflein and by Welsh Coal Mines, and Friday 20 December 1985 with the company wound up on 1 January 1986, given by a detailed local history.

What remains

Cleared. The site has been reclaimed and the ground around Abertillery given over to the greening schemes of the 1990s; a 1986 photograph of a railtour visit, taken months after the pit stopped, shows coal-dusted ground and standing puddles where the yard had been.

None recorded.

Redevelopment

The colliery ground has been reclaimed as part of the wider regeneration of the Abertillery area.

Related mines

• Blaenserchan Colliery — Blaenserchan's coal was brought to the surface through the Abertillery New Mine drift that Rose Heyworth and Cwmtillery shared from 1959.
• Cwmtillery Colliery — The two pits were held by the same company from the start, were connected underground for ventilation, and were formally joined in 1959 as the Abertillery New Mine, after which a single drift raised the coal of both.
• North Blaina Colliery — Both collieries passed to the Lancaster interest — Rose Heyworth to Lancaster's Steam Coal Company in 1888 and North Blaina to J. Lancaster and Company before its closure — and the two sit in neighbouring valleys of the same coalfield.

Nearby mines

• Cwmtillery Colliery — 1.5 km E
• Marine Colliery — 1.6 km E
• Six Bells Colliery — 2.7 km SE
• North Blaina Colliery — 3.1 km N
• Aberbeeg Colliery — 3.9 km S

Straight-line distance, within 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.

• The pit was named after Rosina, wife of Lawrence Heyworth, first managing director of the South Wales Colliery Company and a lieutenant colonel in what became the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Welch Regiment; its earlier name was Rose y Gwartha. ^1,2
• Coflein and Welsh Coal Mines say the colliery was sunk in 1872 by the South Wales Colliery Company, with first coal raised in 1874. A detailed local history instead has Lawrence Heyworth negotiating for the land in December 1873, advertising in January 1874 for the walls, sidings and yard, advertising between 6 and 14 March 1874 for contractors to sink the new pit, and first coal not until 1876 or 1877. (disputed) ^1,2,3
• For many years Rose Heyworth was connected to South Griffin Colliery for pumping and ventilation, Rose Heyworth being the downcast shaft and South Griffin No. 3 the upcast; it was also connected to Cwmtillery, which ventilated some of its workings. ^1,2
• Lancaster's Steam Coal Company took over the colliery in 1888 and worked it until nationalisation in 1947. ^1,2
• In 1896 there were 1,625 men producing coal from the Old Coal, Big, Three Quarters and Elled seams; by 1918 Rose Heyworth and Cwmtillery together employed 2,760; a report of 1923 gives 1,081 men working the Black Vein, Big Vein, Old Coal and Meadow Vein; there were 804 employed in 1938 and 754 in 1945. ^1,2
• Many of the workers were housed in purpose-built cottages, Clyn Mawr Cottages, named after Clyn Mawr Canol farm on whose land they were built; these later became Newtown and finally the Blaenau Gwent Rows. ¹
• In 1959 Rose Heyworth was integrated with Cwmtillery to become the Abertillery New Mine, after a drift was driven 1,200 yards at a gradient of one in five to raise the coal of both pits; coal from Blaenserchan was brought to the surface through the same drift. ^1,2
• Coflein and Welsh Coal Mines give the closure as 9 October 1985. A detailed local history gives Friday 20 December 1985, with the colliery officially wound up on 1 January 1986 and about 450 people employed at the end. (disputed) ^1,2,3

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (primary) Abertillery New Mine; Rose Heyworth Colliery, Coflein NPRN 436 — Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
2. (secondary) Rose Heyworth Colliery, Cwmtillery — Welsh Coal Mines
3. (secondary) Rose Heyworth Colliery — A History 1874 to 1986 — Out Of The Blue Artifacts

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