Manmoel Colliery

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SJT

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Following up on some old leads, we took a walk yesterday looking for remains of Manmoel Colliery.

I have a photo of the No.1 Level from 2013, when the entrance was apparently dredged, and the beautiful stonework was visible for some distance inside.
The grid reference I have for this is SO184008, which agrees with the pinned location on the forum archive.

We walked through the yard with the little clay shoot and found the outcrop of the seam, along with several depressions in the ground, but no sign of the portal for the level, or any water discharging.

Were we in the right place & just being blind, or has this since been backfilled/landscaped?
 
Alternatively, were we in the wrong place?

Can anyone with local knowledge confirm the identification of No.1 Level is correct on the database?

I have now found 3 sites in the local area, which all list their adits as 'Manmoel Level', with driving dates from 1816-1924
 
Right...

The pins for Manmoel No 1 & 2, and Twyn Simon Levels on the Buddlepit database are west of Twyn Simon Farm, and south-east of the river, where we walked yesterday.

A level is photographed and named as Manmoel No 1 Level on this site below, with given grid reference SO184008, which is the same as the pin on the Buddlepit map.
This grid reference is incorrect.


This the same level as the one photographed & named as Hafodrisclawdd Isaf Level below, with grid reference SO18570101.

The Central Sirhowy Valley Industrial Archaeology and History

The Industrial Archaeology and History of the Central Sirhowy Valley
www.industrialgwent.co.uk

The latter of these grid references puts the level north-west of the river.

At this location, a discharge of water is visible on the map, which is marked on the Coal Authority map as "Havod Trislog Sir Henry".

The above referenced Hafodrisclawdd Isaf Level was commissioned by Sir Henry Protheroe, so this is very likely the same level, & the correct location.

I therefore think I have debunked my own query, and this is the location of the adit we were looking for, which we missed on account of being the wrong side of the river!


I will request an update to the database accordingly, though am happy to be corrected if somebody better informed comes along.

I'll also make a follow-up visit to the site to confirm this when I have time, and to take relevant photographs of the current state of play.
 
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There is a few Manmoels in RA Cookes Gazeteer.

1766606350205.png

1766606371926.png
1766606391681.png

The last one being just a trail. Do any match up with the numbered levels?
 
SO182010 is another Manmoel colliery shown on old OS maps, at the end of the obvious elongated strip of woodland leading to the level.
We don't have an entry for that on the database.

NLS Side By Side Manmoel Colliery.png


The listed Manmoel Colliery on the Buddlepit Database encompasses the bottom two Manmoel Levels SO1800017 & SO181019.
 
In the interest of completeness, there is also a set of workings listed as Manmoel Colliery on the NMRS site, working date 1945 at SO17552 04441, with a cluster of shafts & adits shown on the Heritage Destruction Authority map viewer.

nmrs.org.uk

Manmoel Colliery - Northern Mine Research Society

Near Argoed, Sirhowy Valley This was a series of levels that worked the Mynyddislwyn seam from as early as 1816. There were air pits at 180021, 180022, 182024 & 183024 plus the main entrance at 180017. They were owned in 1860/5 by Sir Thomas Phillips and in 1870 by Thomas...
nmrs.org.uk nmrs.org.uk

Manmoel 1945.jpg
 
Heritage Destruction Authority is right, they've obliterated the fine stonework, visible for some distance & in reasonable condition in 2013, and replaced it with a soulless plastic pipe.

Hafodrisclawdd 3 (Bastards).jpeg
Hafodrisclawdd.jpeg
 
SJT said:
Heritage Destruction Authority is right, they've obliterated the fine stonework, visible for some distance & in reasonable condition in 2013, and replaced it with a soulless plastic pipe.

View attachment 2600
View attachment 2601
Click to expand...

I went searching for this not to long ago also, I met the land owner and the entrance had collapsed, so it had to be fixed this way, unfortunately. There is somewhere further up the path an air shaft for this, that I’m still searching for, just below the caravan park.
 
That's something at least, thanks for the info!
There's orange water discharging from the caravan park side a bit further up, but that looks well run-in now.
 
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