Ferndale Colliery

Ferndale Colliery was a series of nine coal mines, located close to the village of Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taf in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales.

The first development was by David Davis of Blaengwawr from 1857, in accessing the high quality steam coal and at a greater depth, he spurred others into tapping into the "Black Gold". Over the following 50 years, eight further pits were created.

Ferndale No.1 was developed on the land of the farm at Blaenllechau, within the borough of Ferndale. The following four pits were also within the village borough of Ferndale, while the last four were within the boundaries of neighbouring village Tylorstown. These later pits were also referred to as Tylorstown No.6 through No.9. However, later consolidation within the areas mining and pit complex eventually connected all nine of the mines. Hence the whole development was called Ferndale Colliery, from the completion of No.9 in 1907 by D. Davis & Sons Ltd. onwards. This allowed the complex to work the coal and ironstone of the: Two Feet Nine; Four Feet; Five Feet; Bute; Gellideg; Red; and Yard seams.

By the 1930s, when most of the complex was within the ownership of Powell Duffryn, the accessible coal reserves had been exhausted from the shallower shafts. Resultantly, their pit head workings were closed on economic grounds, although the workable underground coal faces were consolidated into the remaining shafts.

By the time of World War II and the Bevin Boys, only three of the original pits were still worked. These continued operation successfully under nationalisation from 1947, until the entire complex was finally closed by the National Coal Board in 1959.

Two large colliery disasters occurred in Ferndale during the 19th century.

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