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The underground chapel at Mynydd Newydd Colliery, from Sunday Magazine, 1899.
Situated at Fforest Fach, the Swansea Coal Company sank Mynydd Newydd in 1843. It was originally sunk to the Five Feet vein at 130 yards.
In 1866 it was taken over by Vivian and Sons who owned other collieries in the district and also a copper smelting works.
Later the shaft was deepened to the Six Feet vein at 280 yards; it was then connected underground to the Pentre pit (see below) for which it supplied ventilation.
An underground explosion occurred here in 1869 killing three miners, as an outcome of this accident the men decided to construct an underground chapel. It was established in the Six feet seam, at a depth of 774 feet below the surface. This large chamber was supported by rows of heavy wooden props and seats made of planks of wood were placed between the props. The roof and sides were whitewashed and a service was held there every Monday at 6 a.m. before the men began their shift's work, this continued until 1924.
From the Inspector of Mines list 1896, there were 311 men employed producing manufacturing coal.
In 1908 there were 419 employed.
By 1918 the workforce was 393.
From a list 1923, there were 389 men employed, producing House and Manufacturing coal from the Three, Five and Six Feet seams.
It closed temporally 1932.
The Mynydd Newydd Colliery Co. was formed in 1935, and they drove a new slant.
In 1945 there were 76 men employed.
Finally closed in 1955.
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Pentre Pit.
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Calland's pump engine house, 1933.
The pit was actually sunk in 1762 by someone called Chauncey Townsend, with water-powered winding gear and then fitted in 1768 with a steam pumping-engine.
Calland actually ran a pottery in Landore producing earthenware from 1848 to 1856, which seems to have been quite
close to it, and may have used coal from it.
In 1840 Pentre was owned by John Morris and George Byng Morris and from 1843 by G. B. Morris on his own.
There was a famous court case 1846-49 involving Pentre, over drainage of other mines in the area.
By 1865 Vivian & Sons owned it and in 1891 it was described as a downcast 403 feet deep and upcast 432 feet deep and 285 men were employed. Method of ventilation described as “waterfall”.
In 1895 described as ‘Pentre Colliery, two shafts, sunk eighty plus years ago to the Six Feet seam. Calland's (Downcast and pumping) 134 yards deep and the Upcast & Winding shaft, 300 yards west of Calland's, 144 yards deep. The Six Feet, Three Feet and Two Feet seams were worked, but are now exhausted. Deepening of Upcast is in progress to the Hughes seam.”
In November 1904 the mine closed. In 1913 it was reopened by Pentre Collieries & Brickworks Ltd., who worked it until June 1924 when it closed again. During this period the highest number employed was 371 in 1920.
Information from Tony Cooke.
Below from a Newspaper article, 1934.
Numerous collieries were sunk and successfully worked around 1727 in various parts of the Borough, these included Ynys, Rhydyfed, Worecester, Trewyddfa,
Six Pit, Charles Pit, Ynistanglwys, Callands and Round Pit , none of which remain open today [1934].In fact there isn't a single colliery now left [1934] within the Borough although one is being sunk between Clydach and Glais and Messrs Glasbrook Bros Ltd are working coal within the Borough from their Garngoch Collieries which are just outside.
A large number of collieries were sited at Dunvant, Pentre, Plasmarl, Morriston, Llangyfelach, and in the parish of Llansamlet, all ceasing operation within living memory. Many of these were closed down since "the war" [WWI] including Killan, Pentre, Copper Pit, Mynyddnewydd,Tirdonkin, Samlet and Birchgrove Collieries. This was largely due to the prohibitive cost of working lower seams, the cost of pumping, the competition of petrol and other oil power, the loss of foreign markets and the general economic conditions and trade depression. This has led to large scale unemployment in the industry.
About 1933 in Morriston contractors laying main sewers came across several old colliery workings, none of which were shown on any colliery plans in existence. These showed that the top or surface seams had been worked without sinking pits long ago, and then forgotten about.
Coal mining is still [1934] being carried out westwards of the Borough, along what is known as the South crop, and there are a number of important collieries still operating at Garngoch, Penclawdd, Loughor, Pontardulais and Clydach. Also within the last few years new collieries have been opened at Cadle and Llangyfelach. All the collieries mentioned are within easy reach of the port and most of the coal produced is used locally with some exported. The coal trade no
longer contributes what it used to to the prosperity of the town and
port[1934].