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Celynen South Colliery, around 1983.
Situated in the Ebbw valley between Abercarn and Newbridge, sinking by the Newport Abercarn Black Vein Steam Coal Co. began in 1874. The first coal was raised on August 16th, 1876.
The colliery consisted of three shafts -No1 pit downcast sunk to the "Black Vein" level at 365 yards, No.3 downcast at the "Old Coal" level 405 yards and No.2 pit 405 yards used for up-cast ventilation only.
By the turn of the century the pit employed 1700 men and 200 horses, at this time it was producing a weekly output of 10,000 tons. The working faces in some districts were as far as three miles from the shafts.
The method of working was by long-wall heading and stall and in one of the districts of the mine, the Main East District; there were 110 working places or stalls at twelve-yard centres, with two men at each stall. Walking around this area would be akin to walking by the side of a wall of coal seven feet thick, for an uninterrupted distance of three quarters of a mile. Horses were used to haul the drams of coal the short distance to the "double parting" (two sets of railroad side by side one side for the full journey of drams and the other for the empty). From here the coal was transport by "main and tail" and "endless" haulage ropes in journeys of 25 to 30 drams each to the pit bottom.
In 1918 there were 1,385 men employed.
From a report 1923, there were 1,652 men employed, working the Black Vein and Meadow Vein seams.
During the 1920,s the ownership of the South Celynen changed to the Ebbw Vale Iron, Steel and Coal Company.
In the years between the wars there was a spate of fatal accidents at the "South" it was then given the unenviable nickname of "The Blood-Tub".
During 1935 Partridge Jones and John Paton and Co. became the new owners.
In 1945 there were 1,029 men employed.
Celynen South was one of the last mines to raise coal with the use of a steam-powered engine; it was finally electrified in 1971.
It closed in November 1985 after continually working since the 1870's.
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Celynen South Colliery, around 1900.
Ray Lawrence has now produced a book "A history of the Celynen South Colliery"
It can be purchased at the following;