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Merthyr Vale Colliery.
John Nixon of Nixon's, Taylor, and Co. (later Nixon's Navigation Coal Co. Ltd.) began sinking the Merthyr Vale No. 1 in 1869. Before this work could commence the river Taff had to be diverted.
The first coal was produced in 1875.
Some years later Merthyr Vale No. 2 was sunk to the same level as No. 1 at 542 yards deep.
In the Inspector of mines list of 1896 there were 1,145 men and boys employed underground at No.1 and 845 underground at No. 2 with 233 employed on the surface.
By 1918 the workforce had grown to 2,565.
In the early 1930's ownership changed hands to the Powell Duffryn Steam Coal Company who run it until Nationalisation in 1947. At this time there were 1,179 men employed.
In 1923 Merthyr Vale No.1 employed 1,305, No.2 employed 1,139 and there were 534 surface workers. Coal and Ironstone was mined from the Nine, Seven, and Six Feet seams and the Yard Vein seam.
A £2 million re-organisation in the 1960's involved electrification of the winding-engines, additional coal preparation and wagon loading facilities and a new underground coal conveying system.
During the seventies a workforce of 600 men produced 257,000 tons yearly from the Seven Feet seam.
Merthyr Vale closed on the 25th of August 1989.
It was the spoil from this colliery that avalanched down onto
the community of Aberfan on the 21st of October 1966 killing 144
persons, 116 of whom were school children.
This was the saddest day in the history of coal mining.