Penallta Colliery
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Penallta Colliery was a
coal mine Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
, located close to
Hengoed Hengoed () is a village on the west side of the Rhymney Valley - between Ystrad Mynach to the south and Cefn Hengoed to the north. Across the valley it looks towards Maesycwmmer. The village is in the county borough of Caerphilly, in the t ...
in the
Rhymney Valley The Rhymney Valley () is one of the South Wales valleys, with the Rhymney River forming the border between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. Between 1974 and 1996 a Rhymney Valley local government district also existed (on ...
in the
South Wales Valleys The South Wales Valleys () are a group of industrialised peri-urban valleys in South Wales. Most of the valleys run northsouth, roughly parallel to each other. Commonly referred to as "The Valleys" (), they stretch from Carmarthenshire in the ...
. A
coal mine Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...
which in 1935 held the
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an record for coal wound in a 24-hour period, it is now the site of an original redevelopment project which will make use of the former
pit head A headframe (gallows frame, winding tower, hoist frame,Ernst, Dr.-Ing. Richard (1989). ''Wörterbuch der Industriellen Technik'' (5th ed.). Wiesbaden: Oscar Brandstetter, 1989. pit frame, shafthead frame, headgear, headstock, poppethead) is t ...
buildings.


History

Situated near
Hengoed Hengoed () is a village on the west side of the Rhymney Valley - between Ystrad Mynach to the south and Cefn Hengoed to the north. Across the valley it looks towards Maesycwmmer. The village is in the county borough of Caerphilly, in the t ...
, in 1905
Powell Duffryn Powell may refer to: People * Powell (surname) * Powell (given name) * Powell baronets, several baronetcies * Colonel Powell (disambiguation), several military officers * General Powell (disambiguation), several military leaders * Governor Powel ...
began the sinking of Penallta colliery, and had employed 291 men by 1908. The two shafts Nos.1 (downcast ) and 2 (upcast ), and at the time were the deepest in the
South Wales Coalfield The South Wales Coalfield () extends across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. It is rich in coal deposits, especially in the South Wales ...
. The first coal was raised in 1909, with the railway served by the Cylla branch which connected it to both the
Rhymney Railway The Rhymney Railway (RR) was a railway company in South Wales, founded to transport minerals and materials to and from Colliery, collieries and ironworks in the Rhymney Valley of South Wales, and to docks in Cardiff. It opened a main line in 18 ...
from the Ystrad Mynach north junction, and the
Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway The Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway was a railway company formed to connect the places in its name. When it sought parliamentary authorisation, it was denied the southern section, and obliged to use the Monmouthshire Railway and Canal C ...
. By 1923 there were 2,395 men employed, producing from the Six Feet seam, and at peak production during the 1930s, there were in excess of 3,200 men employed. In 1930 it produced 975,603 tons, and in 1935 it held the European record for coal winding.


Nationalisation

In 1947, the mine was nationalised as part of the governments post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
regeneration scheme, and became owned by the
National Coal Board The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "ve ...
. Investment was made, and in the late 1940s a
Meco-Moore Cutter Loader The Meco-Moore cutter loader was an early twentieth-century British mining machine. It was invented by Mr M. Moore, and developed by the Mining Engineering Company (MECO) of Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, En ...
was installed, one of the first power loaders to be used in British mines, and as a result the
Minister of Fuel and Power The Ministry of Power was a United Kingdom government ministry dealing with issues concerning energy. The Ministry of Power (then named Ministry of Fuel and Power) was created on 11 June 1942 from functions separated from the Board of Trade. ...
Hugh Gaitskell Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell (9 April 1906 – 18 January 1963) was a British politician who was Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Leader of the Opposition from 1955 until ...
made a visit in December 1949. The colliery formed a
rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
club in 1952 called
Penallta RFC Penallta Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Ystrad Mynach in the county borough of Caerphilly. Penallta RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Newport Gwent Dragons. History Penallta Rugby Fo ...
, and in 1954 produced 500,000 tonnes of coal. During 1960 the shafts were extended to reach 800 yards as part of a scheme, which also included electrification of the shaft winding engines. But access to coal was becoming more difficult, and by the 1970s only 700 men were producing 210,000 tons yearly from the Lower Nine Feet and Seven Feet seams – both 20% of the figures at the height of production. The colliery survived the 1984–1985 miners' strike, and made impressive gains in production after the return to work. It was closed by
British Coal The British Coal Corporation was a nationalised corporation responsible for the mining of coal in the United Kingdom from 1987 until it was effectively dissolved in 1997. The corporation was created by renaming its predecessor, the National Co ...
on 1 November 1991 with the last shift led out by a
brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...
. It was the last deep mine working in the
Rhymney Valley The Rhymney Valley () is one of the South Wales valleys, with the Rhymney River forming the border between the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire. Between 1974 and 1996 a Rhymney Valley local government district also existed (on ...
.


Penallta Country Park

In 1996, a vision for Penallta was put forward by
Caerphilly County Borough Council Caerphilly County Borough Council () is the governing body for Caerphilly County Borough, one of the principal areas of Wales. The last full council elections took place 5 May 2022. Political control The first election to the new council was h ...
, in partnership with Groundwork Wales and various local community, statutory and voluntary agencies. Stage 1 of the project converted 180
hectares The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. A ...
of derelict land into Penallta Country Park. Stage 2 created more access, through the installation of a
bridle path A bridle path, also bridleway, equestrian trail, horse riding path, ride, bridle road, or horse trail, is a trail or a thoroughfare that is used by people riding on horses. Trails originally created for use by horses often now serve a wider ...
and
cycle track A cycle track or cycleway (''British'') or bikeway (''mainly North American''), sometimes historically referred to as a sidepath, is a separate route for cycles and not motor vehicles. In some cases cycle tracks are also used by other users such ...
s, and a stone
footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as Motor vehicle, motorized vehicles, bicycles and horseback, horses. They ...
. To complete redevelopment of Penallta, the council developed a
business park A business park or office park is a designated area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. These types of developments are often located in suburban areas where land and building costs are more affordable, and are typically ...
on the site, and have now agreed a development project which will result in a housing estate on part of the site, whereby the
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
status of the headgear of the two shafts are proposed to be part of a pioneering housing development scheme. Several of the colliery buildings and structures are Grade II* listed, including the colliery baths, engine hall and the pit's headframe.


''Sultan''

A artwork, ''Sultan'', created between 1996 and 1999 by
Mike Petts Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documenta ...
, commemorates
pit ponies Pit or PIT may refer to: Structure * Ball pit, a recreation structure * Casino pit, the part of a casino which holds gaming tables * Trapping pit, pits used for hunting * Pit (motor racing), an area of a racetrack where pit stops are conduc ...
. It uses 60,000 tons of coal shale waste, covered with living grass. The artwork was named by local people, after one of the last pit ponies from the area, which was still living at the time.


References

{{Reflist


External links


Penallta Colliery at hengoed.netPictures of Penallta colliery
Collieries in South Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Caerphilly County Borough Underground mines in Wales