Great Western Mine, also known as Hetty Pit, was a
coal mine
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
, at
Hopkinstown
Hopkinstown ( cy, Trehopcyn) is a small village to the west of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, alongside the River Rhondda. Hopkinstown is a former coalmining and industrial community, now a district in the town of Po ...
, near
Pontypridd
() ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Geography
comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...
,
Glamorgan in
South Wales.
History
The mine was opened, as "Gyfeillon Pit", in August 1851 by
John Calvert, an engineer from
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...
, who had already sunk the
Newbridge Colliery (later to become part of the Maritime Collieries, near
Graig, Pontypridd
Graig is a historic district of the town of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. It is also the name of an electoral ward for the town and county councils.
Graig was historically referred to as 'Rhiw' (hill). The area is closely associ ...
). In 1848 his money allowed the construction of the Gyfeillon Colliery to begin.
The colliery changed hands to the
Great Western Railway Company, reverting to Calvert, before he in turn sold it to the Great Western Colliery Company. The company would sink six shafts in total and the pits would collectively be known as the Great Western Collieries.
The colliery initially had three shafts: Hetty Pit (downcast, later upcast), Pit No. 2 and Pit No. 3 (downcast). Hetty Shaft was sunk in 1875 to 392 yards.
["Great Western Colliery (Hetty Pit) Coal Mine (United Kingdom)" at aditnow.co.uk]
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1893 Disaster
On Tuesday 11 April 1893 a fire in the colliery led to the deaths of 63 men and boys. The ages of the dead ranged from 14 to 61. A total of 200 were reported as trapped but 150 were rescued. By 14 April 53 bodies had been recovered.
Sparks from the wooden brake blocks of a haulage engine had set fire to nearby brattice sheets. The fire spread quickly, fanned by the strong ventilation and ignited timber supports, sending dense clouds of smoke and fumes into the mine workings. The death toll would have been much higher had it not been for the actions of the district fireman, Thomas Prosser. Prosser bravely ventured into the dense smoke and, by opening a set of air doors, diverted the noxious fumes out of the mine.
Later activity
The Inspector of Mines list for 1896 recorded a total of 475 men working at the Great Western No. 2 pit and 604 men at Tymawr. By 1918 there were 3,162 men employed at the Great Western.
By 1923, Hetty No. 2 employed 683 men, working the Nine Feet and Red seams. Hetty No. 3 worked the Fforest Fach seam with 324 men. There were 1,143 men working at Tymawr, producing from the Five Feet, Four Feet, Lower Four Feet and Nine Feet seams.[
The Great Western Colliery continued producing coal for many years after disaster, but with further fatalities. The Hetty shaft was closed in 1926, but remained as an upcast shaft for the Tymawr Colliery. The No. 2 and No. 3 shafts, together with the old Tymawr shaft, were closed the same year and a new Tymawr Pit was opened up.][
In 1928 the colliery came under the ownership of the Powell Dyffryn Coal Company and remained so until the mines were nationalised in 1947. In 1958 the " Lewis Merthyr Colliery", a mile or two northwest of the former Great Western Collieries amalgamated with the Great Western and joined underground. At this time coal production stopped at the former and materials stopped going down at Tymawr. In 1969 combined collieries were officially named the "Tymawr and Lewis Merthyr Colliery". The last coal was raised at the Tymawr colliery on 21 June 1983 and the colliery was demolished soon after.
The Hetty Pit is a ]scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
, the head frame and winding engine
A winding engine is a stationary engine used to control a cable, for example to power a mining hoist at a pit head. Electric hoist controllers have replaced proper winding engines in modern mining, but use electric motors that are also tradit ...
house are Grade I listed buildings and the Fan House is Grade II* listed. It was originally intended to incorporate the site into the Rhondda Heritage Park
Rhondda Heritage Park, Trehafod, Rhondda, South Wales is a tourist attraction which offers an insight into the life of the coal mining community that existed in the area until the 1980s.
Visitors can experience the life of the coal miners on a g ...
, but its future is now unclear. The Hetty winding house and engine are now being renovated by volunteers under supervision of Mr Brian Davies of the Pontypridd
() ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Geography
comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...
Museum.[
]
References
*
{{Coord, 51.6054, -3.3581, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Buildings and structures in Rhondda Cynon Taf
Collieries in South Wales
Grade I listed buildings in Rhondda Cynon Taf
Grade II* listed buildings in Rhondda Cynon Taf
Scheduled monuments in Wales
Underground mines in Wales
Coal mining disasters in Wales
1893 mining disasters
1893 in Wales