Cefn Coed Colliery Museum facts for kids
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Cefn Coed Colliery
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| Location | Crynant, Neath Port Talbot, Wales |
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| Type | Mining museum |
| Owner | Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council |
The Cefn Coed Colliery Museum is a cool place that used to be a real coal mine. Now, it's a museum where you can learn all about mining! You can find it in Crynant, near Neath, in the South Wales Valleys of Wales.
Contents
Discovering Coal Mining History
Early Mining in Neath
People started digging for coal in the Neath area way back in the 1500s. This happened when the port of Neath became important for shipping goods.
Later, in 1743, a man named Herbert Mackworth started mining in Onllwyn. Coal production really grew when the Neath and Brecon Railway opened in 1864. This made it easier to move coal around.
Another miner, David Bevan, opened a pit in Blaendulais in 1872. He named it Seven Sisters after his seven daughters. His family, the Evans-Bevan family, then started mining in the Swansea Valley. By 1947, when mines became owned by the government, they had seven collieries (coal mines) close to each other.
The Story of Cefn Coed Colliery
Opening the Mine
Cefn Coed Colliery opened in the 1920s. It was an anthracite coal mine. Anthracite is a very hard and shiny type of coal.
It was really tough to dig the shafts (the deep tunnels) at Cefn Coed. They tried three times without success! But in 1926, a bigger company bought the mine. They invested a lot of money, and finally, they broke through the super hard rock.
The first coal was brought up in 1930. A powerful steam engine, powered by gas from old mine workings, helped run the shafts and other parts of the mine.
The Deepest Anthracite Mine
Like many mines in western South Wales coalfield, Cefn Coed produced high-quality anthracite. The very best coal came from a deep layer called the Big Vein. They found this layer at an amazing depth of 750 yards (about 685 meters)!
During its working life, Cefn Coed was the deepest anthracite mine in the world. It reached depths of over 2,500 feet (800 meters)! Other coal layers they worked included Peacock, White Four Feet, and Nine Feet.
However, mining at such extreme depths was very dangerous. There were often mining accidents because of methane gas and falling rocks from the roof. Because of these dangers, the mine sadly earned the nickname "The Slaughterhouse."
Life and Closure of the Mine
By the end of World War II in 1945, about 908 men worked at Cefn Coed. In 1947, the mine became owned by the government's National Coal Board. They had to keep investing money to maintain the roadways at such deep levels.
As times changed and the economy shifted, fewer workers were needed from the 1950s onwards. Finally, the mine stopped producing coal in 1968.
Many of the miners moved to a new mine called Blaenant. One of the two shafts at Cefn Coed was still used to help with air circulation (ventilation) for Blaenant. It also served as an emergency exit until Blaenant closed in 1990.
Visiting the Museum Today
When you visit the Cefn Coed Colliery Museum, you can see many of the original buildings and machinery above ground. The huge steam winding engine from No. 2 shaft is still there, but now it runs on electricity.
The Winding Engine
This amazing Worsley Mesne steam winding engine was built in 1927. It sits in the boiler house with its six large steam boilers. The engine has two cylinders, each about 32 inches (81 cm) wide. The drum, which held the ropes, is 10 feet (3 meters) wide.
The drum held two ropes, each over 800 yards (730 meters) long! These ropes were incredibly strong, able to hold 234 tons before breaking. Miners checked the cables every day. They were tested for weight every three months and completely replaced every 2.5 years. Every six months, they were shortened a bit to remove any weak spots.
What You Can See
You can't go underground into the actual mine workings at the museum. However, there's a special "simulated gallery." This is like a pretend mine tunnel that everyone can explore, including blind and disabled visitors.
Besides mining tools and equipment, the museum also has a unique restored gas tram. This tram used to run in Neath until 1920!
The Cefn Coed Colliery Museum is an important stop on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. This means it's recognized as a key place for understanding Europe's industrial past.
