Welsh Mines

I betcha! The most respected miners in our early West were Welsh. All named Cousin Jack, of course. When they moved to the US and territories, they brought their tommyknockers with them.

Used to be lots of mines in South Wales - one of the major mining areas. Lots of miners, thus, too - sturdy folk, leftists all. (The Welsh district of Rhondda once, in 1945, but for a hairwidth sent a bona fide Communist to the House of Commons).

Many, many British mines were closed from the early eighties on, through to the mid-nineties, however ... the overwhelming majority of them, if I remember correctly. So dunno how many there are still left.

Without Welsh mines we would not have had "How Green Was My Valley".

Are there any mines in Wales? Is the Pope catholic?

If you ask a British person to name three things that they associate with Wales, they would probably say coalmines, sheep and rugby.

Wales has been mining for quite some time........and not just for coal.

SLATE ..... North Wales ( Blaenau Ffestiniog, Corris, Llanberis etc)

LEAD .......North Wales ( Llanwrst, Aberllyn........

.......AND KLONDIKE! ( our Klondike was the original...ner ner ner ner)



GOLD! .......(Dolaucothi)
Prince Charles (Prince of Wales) wears a ring made of Welsh gold)
http://www.wales-underground.org.uk/dolaucothi/index.shtml



AND NOW.........SOME PRETTY NAILBITING FACTS!



GREAT ORME COPPER MINE (North Wales)

..."The copper mines on the Great Orme were first worked over 3,500 years ago. The complex is recognised as being the most extensive Bronze Age mine workings found so far in Western Europe.

In the Bronze Age, copper was the first metal to be used, although as a tool it didn't have any significant advantages over stone. Later on, the technique of combining copper and tin to produce the alloy bronze was developed. Due to its strength, bronze was used for making axes, swords and also more personal items such as jewellery and ornaments.

The nearest source for tin would have been Devon and Cornwall (South West England), and with much of Britain covered with trees, the tin would probably have been transported to the Great Orme by sea."..............

http://www.greatorme.freeserve.co.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/sites/nhob_walk/walk7.shtml


QUICK HISTORY OF WELSH MINING.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~lizcolin/w_gen.htm#20th

AND THE MINERS.....
http://www.num.org.uk/?p=history&c=num



I hope this answers your question.

I am originally fromt he south wales valleys (as it happens), and there is only one commercial working coal mine left, The Tower Colliery. There is also Big Pit which is a mining museum where you get to go down in the cage and get an idea of what conditions were like.

The valley my family are from had 7 mines in the 50's, but now all their shafts have been filled in and slag heaps landscaped. All that is left is a lot of cheap housing and a deadend.

One of the best books I have ever read...and re-read and read again. Not to mention the movie with Roddy McDowell as little Huw Morgan and of course the wonderful Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara along with Donald Crisp, Barry Fitzgerald and many others. Then of course the small screen version which I saw as part of Masterpiece Theatre back when Alistair Cooke was hosting. To think all of this was thanks to coal mines and the talented writing of Richard Llewellyn.

kashka, wecome to A2K, look you.

Nice to hear that they have actually landscaped the slag heaps, although it would have been better if they'd created some jobs there as well.

Mind you, it sounds like Cardiff is really on the up and up.

aww thank you lovely boy :wink:

Cardiff is a great city, and what they have done with the bay is definitely worth seeing. Plus I always like to remind those in London talking about the new wembley stadium that the welsh managed to build a world class stadium on time and on budget without making half the fuss they do.

My family on my mother's side originated from Wales and many of her uncles were miners there. This accounts for my fine singing voice when I am in the shower, and the fact that I can dig a hole in the garden a lot faster than my wife, who has no welsh lineage at all.

Some links with further infos

South Wales Mines Database

The Welsh and mining in America

National Mining Museum of Wales

Collection of Welsh mining history links

Much obliged Walter.

Walter that link yoy gave me about the Welsh-American Coal Miner's was very interesting, thanks.

My pleasure........