Wyllie Colliery

Overview

A Sirhowy Valley colliery sunk by the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company in 1926 and named for one of its directors, Alexander Wyllie — a comparatively short-lived twentieth-century pit that gave its name to the purpose-built village that grew up around it.

History

Wyllie Colliery was sunk by the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company, opening in 1926 and taking its name from one of the company's directors, Alexander Wyllie. Two shafts, North and South, were both sunk to 636 yards. The company built much of the surrounding village, most of its housing constructed between 1926 and 1930 specifically to house the colliery's workforce, giving the settlement its own name, Wyllie, within the Ynysddu community of what is now Caerphilly county borough. The colliery had a comparatively short working life for a South Wales pit of its size, closing in 1968 after only 42 years.

Geology

Coal of the South Wales field; the seams worked are not recorded.

Workings

Two shafts, North and South, both sunk to 636 yards.

Closure

Closed in 1968 after only 42 years of working — a comparatively short life for a South Wales colliery of its scale.

What remains

The village of Wyllie, built by the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company specifically to house the colliery's workforce, survives; no detail on the surviving condition of the colliery site itself is recorded.

Related mines

• Llanbradach Colliery — When Llanbradach closed in December 1961 its workforce was dispersed to other pits in the Rhymney Valley, Wyllie among them.
• Pochin Colliery — Both were worked by the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company in the Sirhowy valley.

Recorded claims

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

• Wyllie Colliery was sunk by the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company, opening in 1926 with two shafts, North and South, both 636 yards deep, and named for company director Alexander Wyllie. ¹
• Most of the housing in the village of Wyllie was built by the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company between 1926 and 1930 specifically to house the colliery's workforce. ¹
• The colliery closed in 1968 after only 42 years of working. ¹
• Wyllie Colliery lay in the Sirhowy Valley, within what is now the Caerphilly county borough. ²
• Located at about 51.639 N, 3.190 W. ¹

Photographs & further reading

Sources

1. (secondary) Wyllie Colliery — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
2. (primary) Wyllie Colliery — Northern Mine Research Society — Northern Mine Research Society

Record created: 2 September 2026 · Last researched: 2 September 2026