time travelling in henllys vale lesson 5. lesson aims by the end of the lesson you will be able to:...

Time travelling in Henllys Vale

Lesson 5

Lesson Aims

By the end of the lesson you will be able to:

• Give a brief history of the industry in Henllys Vale

• Locate historic industry on a map

• Describe the possible problems with these types of industry

Henllys and History

The area of Henllys has a long and interesting historic background.

Hold on tight........

we are ready to begin our time travelling trip

Prehistoric and the Medieval• To the North of Henllys Vale there are the remains of

several bronze age round huts, many of the sites around Henllys Vale have now been destroyed by open cast mining or other types of early industry

• The site is at the boundary of three counties, during the medieval the area was split into the kingdoms of

Ystrad Tywi (Carmarthenshire)Brycheiniog (Brecknockshire

Morgannwg (Glamorgan)

National Museums & Galleries of Wales (Item reference: L_007T)

Prehistoric and the Medieval

The area has a rich heritage which also includes a tale of

King Arthur

18th CenturyEarly use of Henllys Vale included:

• Local farmers collected lime after the harvest.• They travelled with their donkeys and ponies to

the outcropping coal seams.• The coal was then transported across the

moorland where it was used to burn the limestone and taken down the valley to be spread on the land as a fertilizer

Industrial revolution• With the building of the Tawe canal completed

and opened in 1789, and coal being exploited in the valleys, news spread quickly. This encouraged business people and entrepreneurs into the area.

• Until the late 1830s mining in the area was on a small scale, but in 1837 George Crane and David Thomas adapted the process to make iron and this increased the local coal demand

• This meant an explosion in the number of collieries and the number of coal mining jobs, as well jobs in other local industries.

Coal mining In 1872 the Lower Bryn

Henllys Colliery was established. (closing in 1955) The coal was used in John Hays Lime kilns as part of the Black Mountain Silica, Sand, Lime, Brick and Colliery Co ltd.

In 1889/90 the Upper Bryn Henllys Colliery was opened to save on haulage costs.The colliery was powered by water, with a water wheel to drive the engine to bring up the coal and water from the mine.The mine closed in 1955.

© Crown Copyright, Brecon Beacons National Park Authority, 100019322 2008


Henllys Vale Colliery 1898-1918.This colliery was opened by the Black Mountain Anthracite Company

Unlike the other coal mines in the area coal was hauled to the surface by coal fired steam engine.

1900 – 82 employees1904 – 141 employeesBut profits declined so it was offered for auction in 1906, but withdrawn.

After lying idle the mine reopened as part of the New Henllys Anthracite Co Ltd and was worked until the first world war.

Chimney There are various ideas about

what it was used for• Ventilation shaft for the

underground mine workings• Part of an engine house to work

the incline for the line kiln to receive the limestone from the black mountain quarries

• An engine to haul the coal from the mine at Henllys

• But as the rest of the buildings were demolished in the 1950’s it is hard to be certain


Lime Kilns• Coal had been mined from the

1850s for the use in John Hay’s Lime kilns

• A series of 5 lime kilns, using limestone from the quarries to the North. The lime was then sent southwards in the tram for industry.

• The Kilns inaccessible location suggest that lime manufacture on this scale was a result of the expanding iron industry

• The kilns closed in the 1880s


Copyright Richard S Jones Cambrian Archaeological Projects Ltd

BrickworksThe Bryn Henllys Brickworks were owned by the Tir Bach Brickworks company of Ystalafera, and were operational during the late 19th century and early 1900s.

Nigel Joneshttp://www.cwmbran.info/brick_manufacturers.htm


More recently.....• Open cast coal mining Large scale open cast mining was undertaken by

Celtic energy on the east side of the Kilns, across the river. This was due to be closed in 2003

• Site development Work is being done at the site to allow people to

enjoy the natural environment, and for people to understand the local history and heritage that Henllys Vale has to offer

Now we are safely back, Imagine.........

Its the industrial revolution, you have moved away from home to make your fortune.

1.Make a list of the jobs that you as a worker could do (think about the different industries that we have looked at)

2.Pick one of the jobs from your list and describe what you think the job might have involved

3.Do you think it would have been harder or easier than the jobs we do today? Why?

Disaster Strikes! Out of all the jobs on your list the

only one you were offered was coal mining.

Mining was not a very safe or easy job, there was very little safety equipment and accidents happened frequently.

Accidents seemed to be part of life in early mines:In 1825 an explosion the Cymllynfell mine killed 59, and in 1869 a signal boy was crushed between coal trams and the siding wall.

Many more people were killed in accidents like:•roof collapses•Crushing•Unguarded machinery & mine shafts•Faulty winding ropes

So what could be done?

Following legislation, rules were introduced at all collieries to try and reduce accidents, Each workman in the Cwmllynfell colliery was given a rule book which had his or her duties and responsibilities.

1. Think of three rules that should have been included in the colliery rule book

2. Do you think the class rules would have stopped all of the accidents

2b. Why?

Calling all reporters..... Another accident has just

happened in the local coal mine

Your job is to write a report, including pictures/diagrams suitable for the front page

Write down three things that you have learnt today

Circle your favourite and write a sentence to describe why you enjoyed learning about this

time travelling in henllys vale lesson 5. lesson aims by the end of the lesson you will be able to:...

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