Nantgarw Colliery Remembered.

Subscribe to my youtube channel for 280+ coal mine tributes and counting. Nantgarw Colliery in the village of Nantgarw, Mid Glamorgan, North-East of Cardiff, in Wales, opened in 1910 by Thomas Taylor, was a significant but troubled deep mine in South Wales known for its deep shafts and later its association with a large coking plant built by the National Coal Board (NCB). The colliery faced early closure in 1927 due to poor geological conditions and industrial issues but was re-opened and modernized, becoming a key site for the NCB, which also built the adjacent coking plant to process its prime coking coal. After the 1970s linkage with Windsor Colliery, it closed in 1986 amidst broader pit closures, with its site redeveloped into the Parc Nantgarw industrial estate.
Key History and Background
Opening and early challenges:
Sinking of the two shafts began in 1910 by Thomas Taylor, reaching depths of over 850 yards and making them the deepest in the South Wales Coalfield at the time. The colliery produced its first coal in 1915.
Early closure:
By 1924, the colliery was sold to the Taff Rhondda Navigation Steam Coal Co., but difficult geological conditions led to its abandonment in 1927. It was sold again to Powell Duffryn in 1928.
NCB era and modernization:
After Nationalisation in 1947, the NCB acquired Nantgarw and undertook major modernization projects, including a large-scale coking plant and new landings in the shafts to work seams by horizon mining.
The Nantgarw Coking Plant:
The adjacent coking plant was a world-leading facility for carbonizing coal and recovering valuable byproducts.
Link with Windsor Colliery:
In 1975, Nantgarw Colliery was merged with Windsor Colliery.
Final closure and redevelopment:
Mining continued until the mid-1980s, with the colliery sadly closing in November 1986. The site was subsequently redeveloped into the Parc Nantgarw industrial estate.
Significance
Deepest mine:
Nantgarw was notable as one of the deepest mines in South Wales and a sentinel of the coalfield for those travelling north from Cardiff.
Coking coal and byproducts:
Its connection to the coking plant made it important for producing high-value coke and recovering other materials from the coal.
Iconic site:
The colliery represents the history of South Wales' coal industry, from its expansion in the early 20th century to its decline and eventual closure.