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View Full Version : Morlais Colliery Headgear Climb - 12/07/08



sinnerman
10-11-2008, 01:14 PM
The Final stop on a whisle stop of tour of South Wales Coal sites, I ve had my eye on this headgear for a little while now after a scouting trip a few weeks back i have been waiting for the right opportunity to get it done. myself and snapple hit the site just in time for the final light of the day we had to hang around for a while until the last volunteer left the site we then quickly put our plan in action and found ourselves at the foot of the headgear. the head gear its self is quite a small gerder built version which offered no foot holds for the first 10 feet or so, my first attempt ended with me slipping and falling off cutting my wrist in the process. Have to thank snapple for helping me on this one i wouldnt have got up it without some help.

Morlais Colliery opened in 1894 by Thos. Williams and Sons to mine Anthricite from the Six and Four Feet seams. During the late 1970.s this unit produced an average of 6,000 ton a week with a workforce of 840 men but the small colliery was closed in 1981 in the wind down of the coal industry which lead to the 84 Minners Strike. Following closure the pits Headgear and winding engine was donated by British Coal to the Kidwelly industrial musieum, it was moved to its present location during 1983 in time for the musieums opening in 84. Today it's in quite poor condition with rust begining to break through its gray paint leaving a putrid colour, a few of the steps have rusted through and need to be avoided on the way up.

Morlais Colliery
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg00.jpg

The Headgear today
http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg01.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg02.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg03.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg04.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg05.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg06.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg07.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg08.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg09.jpg

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg10.jpg

Also found out that this winding engine photographed from the top of Cefn Coed Colliery headgears was once the secondary winder at Morlias also donated to the musieum by British Coal in 1984

http://www.forlornbritain.co.uk/images/28/morlais/mhg11.jpg

ERNIE99_UK
10-11-2008, 01:24 PM
great stuff, shame its not preserved as well as it should be.