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Pochin Colliery, Tredegar, 1950's
The Tredegar Iron and Coal Company sunk the two shafts No.1 (upcast) and No.2 (downcast) from 1876 to depths of 380 and 325 yards respectively. The first coal was brought to the surface in 1881.
It was named after Henry Davis Pochin one of the company's directors, who later married Lord Aberconwy, the Company Chairman.
An underground explosion occurred here on the 8th of November 1884, killing 14 miners. It occurred on a Saturday evening while maintenance work was in progress at a pumping station, which was situated in an adit about, halfway down the shaft.
The blast of the explosion shock the whole area and a crowd quickly gathered at the pithead and in the clamber one man, Phillip Pugh, in his enthusiasm to assist fell down the shaft to his death.
The collieries 43 ponies, which were stabled underground also died.
By 1888 the colliery was working the Big Vein and Yard Seams (Rank 301a prime coking coals) and mining conditions are described as being good.
One of the first Air Compressors was put to use here in 1893.
During 1895 the shafts were deepen to 426 yards.
From it Inspector of Mines list 1896, there were 1129 men employed producing Steam and Coking coal from the Big and yard seams.
In 1897 a washery was installed to reduce product ash contents and to increase product marketability.
By 1908 the workforce had grown to 1,550.
In 1918 there were 1,336 employed.
From a report 1923, there were 2,252 men employed, producing Steam coal and Ironstone from the Big Vein, Yard, Old Coal and Upper and Lower Rhas Las seams.
By 1935 Pochin was the largest of TIC's South Wales collieries employing 1,409 men underground and 166 men on the surface. The colliery's annual saleable output for that year was 420,000 tons.
At the time of Nationalisation in 1947 there were 894 men employed.
During the early 1960's manpower levels had fallen to a total of 582 and saleable output reduced to a mere 92,566 tons per annum. The colliery closed in 1964.