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Abercynon Colliery, around 1983.
Situated at the junction of the Taff and Cynon Valleys, the Dowlais Iron Company sank this colliery between 1889 and 1896, at a cost of £270,000 to supply the new steel works at Cardiff. It was the last sinking in the Cynon Valley and was then known as Dowlais Cardiff Colliery.
Two shafts - South (upcast) and North
were sunk to the Nine Feet coal seam at 740 and 753 yards
respectively. The winding gear of these shafts had very long
backstays, which were supported by transitional struts.
Altogether 18 men lost their lives during the sinking of the shafts
including 8 in one single accident, which occurred on the 23rd of
January 1893 and 6 in another accident on the 9th of September
1895.
In 1903 the pit passed into the hands of Guest Keen and Nettlefolds Ltd.
An underground haulage accident on 28th of April 1906 cost the
lives of a five men.
They were; Morgan Richards, Henry Jones, Herbert Moon, Ernest Watts
and Alfred Harper
Bn 1908 and there were 2,502 men employed and in1918 the workforce was 2,491.
From a report 1923, there were 2,794 men employed, producing from the Six Feet, Nine Feet and Upper Four Feet seams.
In 1931 Welsh Associated Collieries took control, but they were absorbed into the Powell Duffryn Company Ltd. in 1936, who owned it until Nationalisation in 1947. At this time there were 1,001 men employed here.
After Nationalisation its bright blue headgear became something of a landmark to travellers on the A470 trunk road between Cardiff and Merthyr.
It became linked to the Lady Windsor Colliery in 1973 at a cost of £450,000 and both collieries were worked as a single unit.
During the mid 1970's there were 1,150 men producing 303,000 tons of coal yearly from the Nine Feet, Seven Feet and Five Feet seams. All coal was raised via the Lady Windsor shafts.
It closed in 1988.