Risca Blackvein Colliery

The Rough History

There are records of small-scale coal-mining in Waun Fawr going back to the 1670s. A timeline of serious mining is :-

1796 Edward Jones, 4 shafts inc whimsey, 3 levels
1836 Owned by John Russell
1846 Explosion, 35 fatalities
1847 Risca Coal and Iron Co, in liquidation 1862 (Russell)
1849 Red and Big Vein shaft made 16' x 10' and extended to 170 yds to Black Vein
1853 Explosion, 10 fatalities
1858 70 yds Upcast closed, 16x10 made upcast with Struves air pumps
1860 Explosion, 146 fatalities
1861 Fans removed, Furnace ventilation back, 16x10 now downcast, nearby circular smoke shaft
1863 Purchased by Thomas William Rhodes
1872 London and South Wales Colliery Co (Watts, Ward and Co)
1878 North Risca Colliery sinking begins
1880 North Risca Colliery explosion
1892 United National Collieries Ltd
1921 Coal winding ceased but kept for pumping ventilaton 1947 National Coal Board 1968 Closed and shafts filled

Waun Fawr Colliery was opened in circa 1796 as a whimsey shaft near the later brickworks, when Edward Jones built the double incline tramroad across the valley from the canal, seen by Archdeacon Coxe in 1799. Later, in 1841, with the expansion of Black Vein Colliery, it became known as the Old Ventilator shaft.

In 1840 David Mushett reported the following coal seams in use at Blackvein :-

• Upper Rock Vein, 3.5 ft thick - used principally for steam-packet purposes (ships)
• Lower Rock Vein 3.5 ft thick - a strong reedy coal
• Big Vein 8 - 12 ft thick - a weak slaty coal, small but free from Sulphur
• Sun Vein 4 ft thick - a strong compact reedy coal
• Red Vein 3 ft thick - a strong reedy coal
• Black Vein (or Rock Vein) - which has not been worked for a good many years
• Brass Vein which is accompanied by very good fireclay

Risca Black Vein Colliery opened in around 1841 when Waun Fawr was acquired by John Russell. The 'Monmouthshire Merlin' for 27th Nov 1847 reports 'At a meeting of the Monmouthshire Canal Co, Ironmasters & Coal owners, plus other freighters. Mr John Russell stated that he had just opened a new colliery and would now cost him £10,000 or £12,000 to bring the coal to the port.'. The colliery was also known as 'Risca Vale Colliery' in its early years.

It was a notorious pit, known as the death pit, due to the serious gas problems and frequent fatal accidents. The most serious occurred in 1860, under the Risca Colliery Co, resulting in 146 deaths, commemorated by the memorial on the opposite side of the valley. In all, around 200 lives were lost in the early 1800s. The explosion was a major factor in the bankrupting of the company and in 1872 it became the London and South Wales Coal Co. They decided to sink new shafts further north, the New Pits or North Risca Blackvein Colliery, and in 1878 Black Vein became the ventilation shaft for the new colliery. The Black Vein Colliery complex closed as a working colliery in 1921, being kept for ventlaton and access, the shafts were filled in 1968 and the whole area has been landscaped beside the Risca bypass.

Read Sam and Dave's memories of the area from the 1950s to the 1980s here

Blackvein, 1880

Blackvein Colliery, 1901

Blackvein Colliery, 1920

Blackvein Colliery, 1962

Up to 1900

A sketch by J J Angerstein, c1760	The Waunfawr Tramroad in 1828	Risca Vale Colliery explosion, 1853
Underground workings, 1860	Underground workings, 1860	NCB abandonment plans

Early Period, c1900

Original headgear, tall chimney and curved roof to the screens.

The first two photos of the crowd scenes are believed to be from the 1912 National coal strike though there may have been a derailment at the time. These are looking North at the level crossing. Barbara Gill says :- "Stood behind the wheelbarrow are 2 Crosskeys boys aged 16. Sidney Pym wearing the watch chain and his best friend my great uncle Reginald Gill with the shovel over his shoulder. Reggie was a POW in WW1 and died of Spanish Flu on 11th November 1918. I don't know what happened to Sidney but he lived at Glenside I believe".
The third photo shows the same bowler-hatted gentleman, a reporter perhaps, with a different group of men and is believed to be looking South but it could be at North Risca Colliery.

Blackvein Colliery, early period	Blackvein Colliery, early period
National Coal Strike, 1912	National Coal Strike, 1912	National Coal Strike, 1912

Middle Period, c1920

Later headgear, tall chimney and single pitched roof to the screens.

Blackvein Colliery, middle period

Later Period, c1930

Later headgear, short chimney and double pitched roof to the screens.

Blackvein Colliery, later period

Blackvein Colliery, later period

Blackvein Colliery, later period

Blackvein Colliery, later period

Risca Blackvein Colliery in 1983

The Risca by-pass was built in the 1980s and the majority of the early workings were destroyed. Luckily a few photos were taken at that time.

Blackvein Colliery engine house	Blackvein Colliery engine house	Jack-y-North Colliery shaft
South of Blackvein Colliery	South of Blackvein Colliery	Risca Blackvein lamp check

Risca Blackvein Colliery today - ST 2242 9120

There is virtually nothing to see now of Risca Blackvein Colliery, quite different to what it used to look like. In 1836 John Russell and Co bought Waun-fawr Colliery with a site covering 1000 acres and in 1841 John Russell had a new shaft of 559 ft sunk at Coed Waun-fawr (Blackvein). The capped shafts are behind a strong steel fence to the South of Blackvein Road shortly after the underpass.

The manhole at the shafts	Risca Blackvein capped shafts	Risca Blackvein capped shafts	Risca Blackvein capped shafts
Risca Blackvein capped shafts	Wire cable next to shafts	Concrete block behind shafts

Workings to the East of Blackvein Colliery

The 'orange' level - ST 2287 9102

In contrast to their destruction elsewhere Natural Resources Wales tree clearance has had some useful side-effects by clearing the undergrowth round these levels and tips at the bottom level. The prominent 'orange' level appears to have been the main one, running down to the larger Eastern tip with a shaft or collapse just above it. It's amazing that NRW were so careful here, why couldn't they be like this everywhere else?

The 'orange' level

The 'orange' level

Shaft or collapse on the hillside

Shaft or collapse on the hillside

The smaller Western tip - ST 2284 9120
The larger Eastern tip - ST 2293 9110

It's not clear where the smaller tip came from but it could be a leftover of the landscaped main colliery tips. The larger tip appears to be the tip from the 'orange' level.

Western tip	Western tip		Eastern tip
Eastern tip	Eastern tip	Eastern tip	Eastern tip

Buck Farm level - ST 2312 9088

The Eastern-most level of the Blackvein area runs up from the tip directly behind Buck Farm.

Buck Farm level	Buck Farm level	Buck Farm level
Buck Farm tip	Buck Farm tip	Buck Farm tip

Waun-fawr Brickworks

Waun-fawr Brickworks - ST 2305 9105

Originally Russells Brickworks as part of the colliery complex, it became part of the Star Brick Co empire by the 1930s. I've not come across a 'Star Risca' brick at all though 'National Star' bricks exist with the letters 'RC' for Risca.

Waen-fawr Brickworks, 1883	Waen-fawr Brickworks, 1901	Waen-fawr Brickworks, 1920	Waen-fawr Brickworks, 1962
'Russell Risca'	'Risca Coal Co'	'Waun Fawr'	'National Star Newport RC'
Waun-fawr Brickworks	Waun-fawr Brickworks	Waun-fawr Brickworks, c1971	Waun-fawr Brickworks

Glenside Collieries

Glenside level - ST 2222 9100

This small level and tip appears to be connected by a tramroad to the main tramroad as it descends from the Waun-fawr Level. I must stress I've called it Glenside level purely from its geographical location above the house called 'Glenside'. I don't know whether it had an official name.

Glenside level	Glenside level	Glenside level	Glenside level spoil tip
Glenside level spoil tip	Glenside level spoil tip	Glenside level spoil tip	Glenside level spoil tip
Glenside level tramroad	Glenside level tramroad

Glenside Level Magazine - ST 2222 9108

This small stone-built and windowless building has all the characteristics of a magazine, tucked away under the protection of the spoil tip.

Glenside level magazine	Glenside level magazine	Glenside level magazine
Glenside level magazine	Glenside level magazine interior	Glenside level magazine	Glenside level magazine
Glenside level magazine	Glenside level magazine

Incline from ST 2244 9106

The incline ran down from the Glenside Level tramway to or through the Blackvein Colliery site. It might well be the Southern incline of Archdeacon Coxe. Like all the Glenside and Waun-fawr tramways it doesn't show up on the first OS map so could be part of Edward Jones original venture.

The incline	Incline top	Incline top	Incline top on tramroad
Incline from the East	Incline from the West	Incline from the West	Incline crossing footpath
Incline crossing footpath	Incline from the East	Incline from the East	Incline retaining wall from East
Level to East of incline	Tip to east of incline

Well, Spring or drainage level - ST 226910

To the East of the incline is a water source of some sort here with a cast-iron pipe running along the path to the East. It's difficult to tell whether it was originally natural or man-made.

Well or drainage level	Well or drainage level	Well or drainage level
Pipework running from well	Pipework running from well	Pipework running from well	Pipework running from well
Pipework running from well	Pipework running from well	Pipework running from well

Tramroad to the Waun-fawr Levels

The tramroad wound its way up the gradient from the top of the incline from Blackvein Colliery, through a junction with the tramroad to Glenside Level, around a hairpin bend past other small levels on the way to Waun-fawr Level. Natural Resources Wales have found it absolutely vital to bulldoze the top end from the hairpin to the level and cover it with hardcore.

From the junction up to Waun-fawr Level

The Risca Blackvein Tramroad	Waun-fawr Tramroad junction	Waun-fawr Tramroad junction	Tramroad at the junction
Waun-fawr Tramroad junction	From the junction to the hairpin	From the junction to the hairpin	From the junction to the hairpin
Tramroad at the hairpin bend	Up from the hairpin	Tramroad above hairpin bend
Tramroad from forest road	Tramroad from previous point	Tramroad from previous point	Tramroad from previous point
Tramroad from previous point	Tramroad from previous point	Tramroad from previous point

From Waun-fawr Level down to the junction

Tramroad at loading bank	Tramroad from previous point	Tramroad from previous point	Tramroad from previous point
Tramroad from previous point	Tramroad from previous point	Tramroad from previous point	Tramroad from previous point
Tramroad from previous point	Tramroad from previous point	Down to the hairpin	Tramroad from previous point
Tramroad at the hairpin bend	Tramroad at hairpin bend
From the hairpin to the junction	From the hairpin to the junction	From the hairpin to the junction

Stone sleepers

Despite Natural Resources Wales best efforts a few stone tramroad sleepers started re-emerging in 2016. Before they destroyed so much, a number of stone sleepers survived and two of them were good enough to measure 3'6" between the spike holes. Unfortunately now NRW have bulldozed the Tramroad the surviving sleepers are under a layer of hardcore.

Sleepers near Waun-fawr level	Sleepers near Waun-fawr level	Waun-fawr Tramroad sleepers	Waun-fawr Tramroad sleepers
Waun-fawr Tramroad sleepers	Waun-fawr Tramroad sleepers	Waun-fawr Tramroad sleepers	Waunfawr Tramroad sleepers

Waun-fawr Collieries

The Hairpin Bend - ST 2230 9095

The tramroad did an almost 180° turn as it zig-zagged up to Waun-fawr Level. Just above the hairpin on the left of the lane is a small level with its tips across the lane on the right. further up the lane the forest road leads off to the left. On the left are some tips with two possible sites of levels on the right. Above the forest road is another small tip.

Level at hairpin bend	Level at hairpin bend	Hairpin bend level tips	Hairpin bend tips
Level beside forest road, site 1	Level beside forest road, site 2
Level above the forest road	Level above the forest road	Level above the forest road

Waun-fawr Level - ST 2267 9083

Waun-fawr Level is at the end of the tramroad at the top of the Blackvein complex and again I must stress I've called it Waun-fawr level purely from its geographical location, this time on the same contour as Waun-fawr Cottage. I don't know whether it had an official name. This may well be the oldest level at Blackvein and even possibly part of Edward Jones venture from 1797

A very bare Waun-fawr level	Waun-fawr Level	Waun-fawr Level	Waun-fawr Level
Waun-fawr Level	Waun-fawr Level	Waun-fawr Level	Waun-fawr Level
Waun-fawr Level entrance	Waun-fawr Level entrance	Waun-fawr Level entrance	Waun-fawr Level entrance
Waun-fawr Level	Waun-fawr Level	Waun-fawr Level	Waun-fawr Level
Waun-fawr Level	Waun-fawr Level	Waun-fawr Level entrance	Waun-fawr Level entrance
Waun-fawr Level entrance	Collapse at side of level entrance	Waun-fawr level tips	Waun-fawr level tips

The interior of the Waun-Fawr level

The Waun-Fawr level was still easily accessible 40 years ago but it's slowly collapsed over the years. The tree harvesting spelt the end.

Interior of Waun-fawr Level	Interior of Waun-fawr Level	Interior of Waun-fawr Level	Interior of Waun-fawr Level
Interior of Waun-fawr Level	Interior of Waun-fawr Level	Interior of Waun-fawr Level
Interior of Waun-fawr Level	Interior of Waun-fawr Level	Interior of Waun-fawr Level	Interior of Waun-fawr Level
Interior of Waun-fawr Level	Interior of Waun-fawr Level

The winding wheel - ST 2265 9078

This winding wheel was a few yards to the Northeast of the level. It appeared to be too modern to be connected to the level so it's purpose is unknown. It may have been installed by the Forestry Commission when the woodland was planted or it may have been part of the colliery in some way. Having been there for years it disappeared when Natural Resources Wales started butchering the site. The stub axle can still be found in the undergrowth.

Site of the winding wheel	Site of the winding wheel	Remains of the winding wheel	Remains of the winding wheel
The winding wheel	The winding wheel	The winding wheel	The winding wheel
The winding wheel	The winding wheel	The winding wheel	The winding wheel
The winding wheel	The winding wheel	The winding wheel

Waun-fawr Lead Mine

Waun-fawr Lead Mine

Above Waun-fawr Level, buried in the trees and brambles, is a small level and tip. It appears to have been a lead seam or possibly iron, almost a natural cave, and goes back about 15 metres before narrowing down. There is a similar level at the top of Coed-y-Darren on the other side of the valley.

Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine
Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine
Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine
Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine
Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine	Waun-fawr lead mine

Archdeacon Coxe, just where was his incline?

What the Archdeacon saw.....

Archdeacon Coxe passed through Risca on one of his tours in 1797 and he described the scene in his book 'A Historical Tour of Monmouthshire', published in 1801 :-

"On my way to Risca, I crossed a bridge over a rail road, lately formed by Mr. Edward Jones, who rents under Mr. Morgan of Ruperra some mines of lead, calamine, and coal, in Machen Hill, on the opposite side of the Ebbw. The expedition and security with which the cars are conveyed up and down the steep side of the precipice, appear singular to a spectator on the bridge. Two parallel rail roads are carried from the canal to the opposite side of the Ebbw, along which two cars are drawn up and let down at the same time, by means of an engine; they appear to pass each other alternately, like buckets in a well; a boy descends with the empty car, nearly midway, and after adjusting the machinery is again drawn up with the loaded car, which empties the coals into the boats of the canal."

The trouble is, no-one knows where the Archdeacon, his incline or Mr Jones' coal mines really were. Maps from 1809, 1813 and c1820, some years after the visit, and various letters and leases relating to Mr Jones exist and things on the ground have changed just a little since then.....

One mystery on the 1813 map is the naming of a 'Risca Colliery' next to the end of either route, there are no other maps showing a colliery here, nor any clear evidence on the ground. The c1820 map does show Darran Colliery so perhaps the 1813 map just has a mis-naming of that colliery. Both maps show the Sirhowy Tramroad which would have taken the coal traffic anyway.

'Notes on Mr. Jones Tramroad' by John Etor, page 1	'Notes on Mr. Jones Tramroad' by John Etor, page 2	'Jones Tramroad, Risca' by Gordon Rattenbury
'Early coalmining in Risca' by T E Yendell	The route of Archdeacon Coxe's incline	Map of Risca turnpike of 1809
Map of Risca turnpike of 1809	Map of 1813	Map of c1820

Archdeacon Coxe's incline - ST 2315 9165

The route of the incline matches up geographically with what is now a steep footpath down from the canal, across the main road and over the river on a now-demolished bridge by the present-day fire station to the older Blackvein workings. This is a straight line from the workings to the canal and matches up well with Coxe's account. It is shown on the 1809 and 1813 maps. with branches to the colieries and is the generally accepted route by most historians. Gordon Rattenbury's article in the RCHS journal is the primary published account.

Looking up to the canal

Looking down from the canal

Looking up to the railway

Looking down from the railway

Alternative access to Blackvein Colliery - ST 2302 9168 to ST 2255 9133

The lie of the land suggests that an alternative route could have been a more gentle incline from the canal down to the Monmouthshire Tramroad, past Medart Street, across Medart Place and along Blackvein Road over the river to the coal workings. Neither the railway nor Medart Street existed then but Medart Place was already the main road up the valley. However, it is hard to reconcile Coxes' account with this route which is not shown on the 1813 map. Bryan Morgan has done a lot of research into this area, particularly regarding the ownership of the adjoining land.

Alternative access to the colliery	Cae'r Engine at Greenmeadow	Looking up from the railway
Looking up from the railway	Looking up to the canal	Looking up to the canal
Looking down from the canal	Looking down to the railway	Medart Place crossing site

Risca Blackvein Coalworks - Memories of times gone by

Sam Munn lived here in the 1950s and says "I was born in Risca in Garn cottage (by the side of Risca cemetery) 1950 and moved to Buck Farm Danygraig in 1956 (mistakenly identified as Rock Farm in Dave's narrative about the lead mine). I remember many of the old redundant workings, they were haven for us to play in. One lad broke his leg in the Blackvein Drift mine winding gear and my mother and uncle took the front door off our house to use as a stretcher to get him to the farm where he was put into the back of our van and mam took him to hospital (no Air Ambulance back then).

Also my Dad used drive the tractor to pull the Danygraig Brickwork trucks out from the yard to to railway sidings for collection. I spent many a Saturday morning in the weighbridge house and I knew Mrs Campbell next door (called Campbell's corner)

There was no mention of the mystery embankment ring sited at the top of our farm. This was some kind of settlement that had a perfect view to see Newport and and danger coming from down the valley. Many observers came to see it but my father levelled the site in early 60's. As for your question, the (horizontal not vertical) winding wheel headgear was definitely for the Drift mine as we were able to walk into it for about 50 metres. Also the forward area was a slag heap and had remnants of a small railway dram lines. All around the Blackvein and even up on the top part of our farm the area was littered with Bell Pits i.e. small excavations about 3 metres deep. Once they had extracted the coal they just moved over and dug another one. I remember my Father organising stone picking gangs (mainly my friends) to pick up stones from the fields and fill in the pits which he later covered with soil.

Below the farm was a quarry (not working in my memory) and in the quarry floor was a brick works called the Star Brick & Tile. I think it closed in about 1967.

I forgot to mention also that my Grandfather who moved out of Buck Farm when we moved in went to live in the Darren cottages at the canal bridge and i remember much of that area too. "

Dave Bryant adds "A chap I knew who drove one of the big Euclid dump trucks, getting the old Blackvein site ready for the by-pass, said when they were blasting just up past the brick works, they discovered some tunnel workings and tools. These got destroyed, so the project didn't get held up. If that was true, I know not. I remember when the earth scrapers were in the Blackvein, they broke into one of the old coal workings, I remember peering down inside the hole, didn't have a camera though."

Acknowledgments, sources and further reading.

Thanks to Jim Coomer for showing me many things I'd missed and providing some fascinating historical photos.
Thanks also to Barbara Gill, Malcolm Johnson, Bryan Morgan, John Venn and other members of Oxford House Industrial History Society, who have contributed their records, thoughts and ideas.
Gordon Rattenbury - 'Jones Tramroad, Risca' - RCHS journal, Nov 1985
'Archive' magazine No 73
John Etor - private article - April 2004
David Mushett - Papers on Iron and Steel - 1840
Bryan Morgan - 'The Location of Edward Jones' 1799 Tramroad - A personal assessment based on contemporary correspondence' - OHIHS, available on the 'publications' page of the Risca Museum website
Ray Lawrence - 'The Coal Mines of Risca'