Believe this Colliery is up for sale.

No its Blackbarn they are considering selling.

Then thats another one up for sale.

Blaentillery has`nt raised coal since Christmas,and been looking for a buyer for a few months.

Blackbarn has been idle for over a year,when the men and equipment was transferred to Nant Hir No.2 in Sevensisters ,Dulais valley,near Neath,owned by the same owner,sadly,last i heard that was on stop as well before Christmas.

Blaentillery No 2 is open and producing. We were closed during the bad weather because we couldn't get to work or get wagons in for export. Not sure where you get your information from but I am the owner so if it had been up for sale for the last few months I would definietely know about it.

Yes ,i heard you started back last week,glad to hear it.

With only 5 working Smallmines in South Wales,the boy`s coming back from Bath will need them all for employment,

But are they Collier`s?

Strange how these false rumours start!

I have a number of details regarding this site and wonder if Thomas Martin Mining would be prepared to comment on the accuracy of them. I would be very grateful for any corrections or additional information.

Blaentillery Mining Ltd. (Reg. 18.1.2002 as Oaklime Ltd., RN 2.4.2002, Petition filed 6.10.2004, To be heard 17.11.2004 and again, Petition filed 10.2.2005, COWU 6.4.2005, No accounts filed, In liquidation at 4.2006)

Blaentillery Mining Ltd. took over in May 2002.

The European Commission on 17.7.2002 authorised the U.K. Government grant of £151,000 to Blaentillery Mining Ltd., to cover losses up to 23.7.2002. Previously £113,000 granted for period 17.4.2000 to 31.12.2000 and £217,000 for the whole of 2001.

Still operating at 31.3.2005. Suspended some time in 2005.

Immediate Prohibition Notice served on Blaentillery Mining Ltd. on 19.9.2005. [but query if instrumental in stopping work]

Blaentillery Mining Ltd. in liquidation, with a new company, Coity Mountain Mining Ltd. being registered on 19.4.2004. No accounts filed and company dissolved 17.1.2006. Query if actually took over?,


Operated by Blaentillery Mining Partnership at 2.2006.

Operated by Thomas Martyn Mining Ltd. from c1.2006. (Company Reg. 27.7.1999 as Pressdale Mining Ltd., renamed 21.3.2006).

Owners Richard, Tim and David Blandford in 2009.

Tony2, could you explain the "Immediate Prohibition Notice" please?

Served on previous company by HMIM

Any idea why?

Remember reading about it on the Welsh coalmines Forum,cannot remember reason now without going through Forum,but could have been for several reasons,

Faulty electrics underground,not up to standard,
Ventilation and second way ,to far behind working faces,
Or simply work not carried out from previous HMIM visit,that was stated as needed doing by next visit.

Have a gander through the Blaentillery No.2 thread,its all there somewhere.

i am 15 at the moment but i was thinking about getting a job when im 18 at your mine i live in abercarn its not to far away
and i have always wanted to work in a pit its pretty much my dream job what do i have to do

Im 15 and want to work in a mine too,, we sould sink our own!! 🙂

Im 15 and want to work in a mine too,, we sould sink our own!! 🙂

Decades ago dan the pit-hunter and deep miner could have emulated my mother's cousin who, in the late 1920s at the age of 17, sunk a 90 foot shaft to develop a small mine in old workings. Mind you, he'd been working underground for three years already at that time, in his family's drift mine. Boring ahead, he knew he was approaching the seam, so after firing the last round that broke through, instead of descending his shaft (hand windlass and bucket), he lowered a candle in a bucket down - ten feet from the bottom the black-damp extingusihed the candle. So he rigged up a canvas pipe that projected ten or so feet above the shaft collar and klowered it down to shaft bottom. Wind and atmospheric pressure difference cleared the black-damp in a couple of weeks and he was ready to start working coal.

Rather earlier, around 1870, my great grandfather was so keen to start work underground that he used to play truant from school to work in a local pit. His father found out and gave him the choice of school or coal and he lept at the chance of going underground full-time. He'd have been 13 at the time. He worked underground until the First World War when he got a job in the steelworks, where he worked until he died age 72.

So you're not the only lads of your age to be mad keen to work coal. The obstacle is that you're decades too late to be able to easily achieve your ambitions.

Some of the contributors on the Welsh Coal Mines forum can probably give you sound advice on what to do and what not to do to further your ambitions - I remember some suggestions being made to a forum member who really wanted to open a small drift to cut personal domestic coal.

Good luck with your ambitions - and take care! - remember that far more men have been killed through falls of roof and falls of side than in explosions, and that black-damp in old workings can knock you out before you can react enough to get out. Might be worth trying to find someone with experience of working in small mines to take you under their wing and show you the basics - that way you'd improve your chances of staying alive...

Indeed!!, i did my work experience in Big Pit and they taught me the basics, even had a ride with the pitman :thumbup: , but he said he wasn't licensed to give me qualifications, 😞 ha!

Sadly Dan you are unlikely to find anywhere that will train you for coal mining these days. It takes a long time and is costly to the training company.
In order to gain the experience to become a coal face worker you would need to work as a haulage/general pitman for a while before embarking on face training of 6 months duration. Beyond that involves more years of experience and college/night school for the theory.
To qualify as a colliery manager takes around 8 years of study and work experience plus a minimum age of 26.
Also, I don't think anyone takes trainee underground workers below 18 years old now either.

I believe Blaentillery No.2 did have a training face,whether its in use now,i don`t know

Bit different to Big Pit Dan.