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Kear's and Kay's Slopes, Blaenavon, 1967
The Blaenavon and Garnddyrys Works opened New Slope sometime
prior to 1824. This mine was also known as Dick Kear’s
Slope after a contractor Richard Kear.
It work the upper ironstone veins as well as the coal seams
In 1836 this company was sold to R. W. Kennard M. P. (father of Thomas Kennard the contractor who built Crumlin Viaduct) the founder of the Blaenavon Iron and Coal Company.
An accident occurred on the 15th of December 1856 at Dick Shon's level, (which was connected to Kear's slope) when four men were suffocated to death when a fire broke out in the ventilation shaft, which they were attending.
They were :- Charles Young 57, William Evans 37, James Young 29 and John Taylor 47
Production was discontinued around 1875
Kay's slope situated about a mile northeast of Blaenavon's Big Pit, was driven from the underground workings of Kear's slope in 1855.
From the Inspectors of mines list 1896, Kay's slope was producing Coking, House and Steam coal from the Three quarters, Big and Elled seams. At this time there were 426 men employed.
Later it became connected underground to Milfrain Colliery and Garn Slope for pumping and ventilation purposes and in 1918 these three collieries employed 1,084 men
From a report 1923, there were 219 men working at Kay's Slope, producing from the Black Vein seam.
In 1938 there were 367 men employed. By 1945 it was listed with Milfraen pit employing a total of 337 men, although at this time Milfraen had long ceased production.
It closed in 1963.