Senghenydd colliery disaster

1910s in Glamorgan1913 disasters in the United Kingdom1913 in Wales1913 mining disastersCoal mining disasters in Wales ... and 3 more

Deaths from carbon monoxide poisoningEngvarB from February 2014October 1913 events

The Senghenydd colliery disaster, also known as the Senghenydd explosion (Welsh: Tanchwa Senghennydd), occurred at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, near Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales, on 14 October 1913. The explosion, which killed 439 miners and a rescuer, is the worst mining accident in the United Kingdom. Universal Colliery, on the South Wales Coalfield, extracted steam coal, which was much in demand. Some of the region's coal seams contained high quantities of firedamp, a highly explosive gas consisting of methane and hydrogen. In an earlier disaster in May 1901, three underground explosions at the colliery killed 81 miners. The inquest established that the colliery had high levels of airborne coal dust, which would have exacerbated the explosion and carried it further into the mine workings. The cause of the 1913 explosion is unknown, but the subsequent inquiry thought the most likely cause was a spark from underground signalling equipment that could have ignited any firedamp present. The miners in the east side of the workings were evacuated, but the men in the western section bore the brunt of the explosion, fire and afterdamp—a poisonous mixture of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen left after an explosion. Fires in the workings hampered rescue efforts, and it took several days before they were under control. It took several weeks for most of the bodies to be recovered. The subsequent enquiry pointed to errors made by the company and its management leading to charges of negligence against Edward Shaw, the colliery manager, and the owners. Shaw was fined £24 while the company was fined £10; newspapers calculated the cost of each miner lost was just 1 shilling 1+1⁄4d (about equivalent to £6 in 2021). In 1981 a memorial to the men who died in the disaster was unveiled by the National Coal Board, followed by a second in 2006, to honour the dead of both the 1901 and 1913 explosions. In October 2013, on the centenary of the tragedy, a Welsh national memorial to those killed in all Wales's mining disasters was unveiled at the former pithead, depicting a rescue worker coming to the aid of one of the survivors of the explosion.

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Senghenydd colliery disaster
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Latitude	Longitude
N 51.6114 °	E -3.2813 °

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Address

Nant Y Parc Primary School

Parc Terrace
CF83 4GY , Aber Valley
Wales, United Kingdom
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Nearby Places

Universal Colliery

Universal Colliery was a coal mine located in Senghenydd in the Aber Valley, roughly four miles north-west of the town of Caerphilly. It was in the county borough of Caerphilly, traditionally in the county of Glamorgan, Wales. Started in 1891, it became a ventilation facility for the Windsor Colliery in 1928 before complete closure in 1988.

Senghenydd railway station

Senghenydd railway station served the town of Senghenydd, in the historic county of Glamorgan, Wales, from 1894 to 1964 on the Senghenydd branch of the Rhymney Railway.

Senghenydd

Senghenydd (Welsh: Senghennydd, IPA: [sɛŋˈhɛnɪð]) is a former mining town in the community of Aber Valley in South Wales, approximately four miles northwest of the town of Caerphilly. Historically within the county of Glamorgan, it is now situated in the county borough of Caerphilly. In the United Kingdom Census 2001, the population of the Aber Valley was 6,696.

Windsor Colliery Halt railway station

Windsor Colliery Halt railway station served Windsor Colliery in the village of Abertridwr, in the historic county of Glamorgan, Wales, from 1943 to 1964 on the Senghenydd branch of the Rhymney Railway.

Aber Valley

Aber Valley is a valley community in Caerphilly county borough, South Wales. It has two main communities, Abertridwr and Senghenydd, which grew around the mining industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Senghenydd has a longer history than Abertridwr; it was once a cantref (or "hundred") encompassing quite a large area. The Aber Valley Heritage Group has established a Heritage Museum situated within Senghenydd Community Centre in order to commemorate the scene of the largest mining disaster in British history: the 1913 Senghenydd Colliery Disaster when 439 miners lost their lives.The Aber Valley Male Voice Choir was created in 1959. The choir has toured round the world, appeared at many Eisteddfods, and performed at the opening match of the 2015 Rugby World Cup at the Millennium Stadium.

Windsor Colliery

Windsor Colliery was a coal mine in the village of Abertridwr, Caerphilly. Opened in 1895, it amalgamated with the Nantgarw Colliery in 1974, and closed in 1986. Ty'n y Parc (Welsh for "house on the park") housing estate now occupies the site.

Abertridwr railway station

Abertridwr railway station was a station which served Abertridwr, in the Welsh county of Glamorgan. It was served by trains on the line from Caerphilly to Senghenydd. The nearest station to Abertridwr is now Aber.

Mynydd Eglwysilan

Mynydd Eglwysilan is a 355-metre-high hill in the Caerphilly county borough in South Wales 3 km to the south of Nelson and a similar distance southwest of Ystrad Mynach. To its south is Senghenydd at the head of the Aber Valley. Like neighbouring Cefn Eglwysilan, the hill is named after the hamlet of Eglwysilan 4 km to the southwest, the church here being dedicated to an obscure Saint Ilan. Remains of a linear earthwork known as Senghenydd Dyke stretch across the southern side of the hill. It is considered to mark the edge of an extensive 13th-century deer park associated with nearby Caerphilly Castle.

Abertridwr, Caerphilly

Abertridwr (Welsh pronunciation; Welsh: the mouth of the three waters) is a village in Caerphilly County Borough, Wales, situated about 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Caerphilly town. The "three waters" or "three streams" are Nant Cwm-parc, Nant Cwmceffyl and Nant Ilan, which join to form Nant yr Aber.Like many villages and towns in the area, Abertridwr was a coal mining community within the South Wales Coalfield.

Eglwysilan

Eglwysilan is an ecclesiastical parish and hamlet in Wales, within the community of Aber Valley in the unitary authority of Caerphilly County Borough.

Mynydd Meio

Mynydd Meio is a 322-metre-high hill in the county borough of Caerphilly in South Wales. Parts of its western slopes fall within Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough. Its eastern slopes drop away to Cwm yr Aber between Caerphilly and Abertridwr and its western slopes to the valley of the Taf. The high point is just over 200 m north of the trig point which sits at 322 metres (1,056 ft) above sea-level. The hill is crossed by the Senghenydd Dyke, an ancient earthwork considered to date from the 13th century and associated with nearby Caerphilly Castle.

Cefn Eglwysilan

Cefn Eglwysilan is a hill in South Wales, the twin 382m summits of which lie 2 km east of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough. Its eastern side lies within the community of Aber Valley in Caerphilly county borough. Like neighbouring Mynydd Eglwysilan, the hill is named after the hamlet of Eglwysilan, the church here being dedicated to an obscure saint Ilan. A wireless transmission station is sited on the more northerly of the two summits (at OS grid ref ST 099911). The southerly one is crowned by a trig point.