A Welsh Coal Mines web page

Heritage

Quite often I think of our Heritage
With its poverty and destitution
The rise and fall of mining communities
Brought on by the industrial revolution

All-though my thoughts are often lost
In those generations that have gone by
Sometimes I get a clear view
Of our heritage which had to die

Sometimes I smell the smoke of woodbines
And hear the whistle of the Taff Valley train
Even feel the presence of the community spirit
That once endured many hardships and pain

I see the Valley’s of the Rhondda
With the coal tips and their dust
The old Taff Valley rail
With her bridges, once robust

I’ve stood on the old bridge in Ponty
Where the river, once black would flow
And I’ve listened to the ghosts of colliers
Who once worked at the seam below