Full Report for Listed Buildings
The list description is not intended to be a complete inventory of what is listed: it is principally intended to aid identification. By law, the definition of a listed building includes the entire building (i) and any structure or object that is fixed to the said building and ancillary to it and (ii) any other structure or object that forms part of the land and has done so since before 1 July 1948, and was within the curtilage of the building, and ancillary to it, on the date on which said building was first included in the list, or on 1 January 1969, whichever was later.
Summary Description
Reference Number
13121
Building Number
Grade
II*
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
16/08/1984
Date of Amendment
01/08/1996
Name of Property
Former Lewis Merthyr Colliery Trefor pithead and headframe
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Community
Trehafod
Town
Locality
Trehafod
Easting
303994
Northing
191143
Street Side
N
Location
Located on the N side of the complex, the eastern of the 2 pitheads.
Description
Broad Class
Industrial
Period
History
Lewis Merthyr Colliery was established in the mid 1870s by W T Lewis (later Lord Merthyr) as an amalgamation of the Coedcae and Hafod Collieries both established in 1850. The present buildings are grouped around 2 shafts sunk c1880 and c1890. By c1900 the colliery was one of the largest in Wales producing a million tons of coal a year. It was taken over by Powell Duffryn in 1929 and the National Coal Board in 1947. It closed in 1983 and subsequently has been redeveloped as the Rhondda Heritage Park. The site contains one of the most complete groups of colliery buildings remaining in Wales. The Trefor pitbank and headframe were built c1890. The shaft served as the upcast shaft for ventilation and was used for winding men and materials.
Exterior
A stone and brick pitbank covered by a wrought iron trussed corrugated roof through which rises a lattice girder headframe. Pitbank formed of plinth of rubble and rockfaced sandstone with irregular openings and arches to service tunnels, and curving sides of fan passage leading from shaft to fan house on E side. Parts of superstructure above pit bank are of brick, some new, but cover building is largely of corrugated iron on a wrought iron frame, typical of collieries of this period. Airlock doors and heavy wooden guillotine gates and knocking irons still in situ. Headframe rising through roof is of wrought iron lattice girder type with 4 splayed legs over shaft and 2 sweeping supports from the axle of the sheaves to stone plinths butting N wall of adjacent winding engine house; these connected to legs by diagonal braces. Maintenance platform surrounds sheaves with access by ladder up SW leg. Interior of headframe contains later steel plate air lock.
Interior
Interior of headframe contains later steel plate air lock.
Reason for designation
Listed Grade II* as a rare surviving pitbank complete with cover building, for having one of the oldest headframes remaining in Wales, and for group value in this important colliery complex.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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