A Welsh Coal Mines web page

image of subject

Llanover Colliery, Argoed, Nr. Blackwood

Situated on the eastern side of the Sirhowy valley at Argoed, this pit was sunk in 1912 to the Brithdir house coal seam. The name comes from Lady Llanover of the Llanover Estate.

Two men fell to their deaths during the sinking when the cage rope broke after problems with a safety-overriding device that had got stuck.

From a report 1923, there were 434 men employed, producing from the Pontygwaith (Brithdir) seam.

The colliery suffered with flooding on several occasions, at one time the water rose 80 feet in the shaft and the Bargoed Coal Company had to employ a diver to maintain the steam driven pumps at pit bottom. In 1931 an electric pump capable of delivering 60,000 gallons of water per hour was installed.

Later the running of the colliery was taken over by the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company and two Deepwell pumps were installed suspended into the shaft.

The pumping at Llanover prevented the water flooding Oakdale colliery further down the valley.

Llanover was linked underground to Abernant Colliery and also to a level at Hollybush.

It closed in the 1930's.