The Marine Colliery, Cwm

4K video collage captured from my DJII Mavic Air, overlooking the former Marine Colliery Coal Mine situated in Cwm, Ebbw Vale. An historical site which once played a pivotal role during and after the industrial revolution.

The sinking of this colliery began in 1889 by the Ebbw Vale Steel, Iron and Coal Company Ltd. The downcast shaft being 418 yards (382 m) deep and the up-cast 414 yards (379 m) yards. The first coal was produced in 1893.

From the Inspector of Mines list 1896, there were 833 men employed producing from the Old coal, Three quarters, Big and Elled seams. In 1913 there were 2,407 men employed. From a report of 1923, there were 944 men working at Marine No. 1, producing from the Old Coal seam and there were 1,097 employed at No. 2 working the Elled, Big Vein and Three Quarters seams.

On 1 March 1927 an underground gas and coal dust explosion killed 52 men. The death toll would have been many more if it hadn't been for the quick thinking of the manager Mr. Edward Gay, who on his arrival at the mine, ordered the ventilation fan to be slowed down so that it wouldn't fan the flames of any fires burning below. It turned out that his actions saved the lives of the men still alive in the district where the explosion occurred. At this time there were 1,400 men employed at the colliery but fortunately when the explosion occurred only the night shift were working underground.

By 1935 the ownership of the colliery change hands to Partridge, Jones & John Paton Ltd. who worked the colliery until Nationalisation in 1947, when there were 1,540 men employed.

An incident at Marine Colliery led to an important case in the law of England and Wales. After a miner named Edwards was killed by a falling rock at Marine Colliery on 6 November 1947, the case of Edwards v National Coal Board in 1949 established the concept of "reasonable practicability" with avoiding workplace deaths.

During the 1970s it became integrated with Six Bells Colliery with all the coal being handled at the Marine. In 1982 £2.5 million was spent on a new skip winding system, also a new coal handling plant was installed on the surface. Marine was the last deep mine to work in the Ebbw valleys, it closed in March 1989.

Music Credit(s):
The Earth Prelude by Ludovico Einaudi