I gather that Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, owners of both Cefn Coed Colliery Museum and the adjacent pair of headgears (which have never been considered part of the museum and actually lie behind a tall fence) are going to have contractors dismantle the headgears. This is presumably due to safety concerns as they have not been painted since some time prior to the colliery closing. The headgears are either listed or scheduled (can't recall which) so dismantling will have been approved by Cadw. They are rivetted lattice girder construction and so can be split at fishplated joints. I gather that the dismantled headgears will be placed in shipping containers to protect them with a long term aim of re-erecting them. In view of the economic situation and the succession of local authorities' lack of commitment to conserving the headgears (and to invest in the museum), I doubt we'll see them reerected anytime soon.

How many times have I seen something of significant mining importance dismantled "to save/move/protect/store" it and that then is the last its ever seen or heard of.

The croesor fan house comes to mind.

Surely painting it is easier that dismantling and storing? I expect some junior consultant has issued a health-and-safety decree that blood will be shed if they allowed to stand.

Shame, really so few proper headframes left now 😞

---

Lets hope it finds a good home and does not get sold as scrap. Too much health and safety these days, pencil pushers justifying their existence.

Is placing them in shipping containers council code for the scrap man is having them.

---

Some idiot will doubtless have decreed that they can only be painted or inspected for structural integrity if vast amounts of scaff are erected round them at vast expense, with a huge cast of H&S officers to oversee it. Repainting and/or condition checking is probably entirely feasible and not massively expensive using rope access methods, one hopes Cadw don't just rubber-stamp this....

---

I suspect the required shot/grit blasting alone would require a fair bit of scaffolding complete with additional dust screening.

Oh dear, H&S coming in for a bit of a bashing in this thread. :tongue:

They managed to protect South Crofty New Cooks Kitchen Headgear. It was plastic wrapped for a while but it did mean the team could work all weathers. Bit greenhousey I would think during sunny days! But it looks stunning now.