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Oakdale Colliery, around 1983.
The sinking of Oakdale's two steam coal shafts began in 1907 and the first coal was produced in 1911. The shafts North (upcast) and South were 626 and 650 yards deep respectively.
Owned by Oakdale Navigation Collieries Ltd. a subsidiary of T.I.C. It generated its own electricity and later supplied Markham and Wyllie collieries with electric power.
At its peak production reach one million tons per year and employed a workforce of two thousand.
Waterloo, Oakdale's house coal partner was sunk in 1911 to the Brithdir seam at a depth of 282 yards; it later became a Mines Training Centre.
The original old Waterloo level was opened by the Tredegar Iron Company and it was in production as far back as 1815. It was named after the town in Belgium where Napoleon was defeated.
By 1918 there was a total workforce of 2,202 men.
From a report 1923, there were 2,198 men working at Oakdale steam pits, producing from the Upper Rhas Las and Big Vein seams. At the Waterloo pit there were 733 employed, working the Waterloo Red Ash seam. Also Waterloo level was working the Mynyddislwyn seam with 25 men. Another 351 were employed on the surface.
The workforce numbered 2,235 in 1938.
In 1945 Oakdale and Waterloo employed a total of 2,001 men.
Waterloo closed in 1970.
It became linked to Markham and the Celynen North collieries in the late seventies and early eighties, making it the largest colliery in Gwent.
The concrete structure on the far left of the photograph below housed the lifts to transport the men to and from the pithead baths.
Oakdale closed in 1989.
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Oakdale and Waterloo (left), c. 1968.