Pithead at Western Colliery, Nant-y-moel 1985

Western Colliery, also known as Ocean Colliery, was a major coal mine located in Nant-y-moel, a village in the Ogmore Valley of South Wales. Founded in the early 1870s, it became an important part of the region’s thriving coal industry during Britain’s industrial peak.

The colliery was initially established by David Davies & Company in 1873, originally named Edward’s Pit before becoming Blaenogwr Colliery. Around 1877, the Ocean Coal Company took ownership and renamed it Western Colliery. The mine featured two deep shafts, one downcast and one upcast, with sophisticated ventilation systems evolving over time—from furnace ventilation to powerful fans—to maintain air quality underground.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Western Colliery employed close to a thousand men working the rich seams of steam coal. This coal was highly valued for powering steamships, locomotives, and industry, contributing significantly to both local and national economies.

The colliery’s history was not without tragedy. In 1874, during the initial shaft sinking, an accident claimed five lives, marking one of the Ogmore Valley’s deadliest mining disasters.

In the mid-20th century, Western Colliery connected underground with the nearby Wyndham Colliery. By 1965, the two operations merged to form Wyndham/Western Colliery, streamlining production through shared facilities. The combined colliery continued operations until its closure in 1984, marking the end of deep coal mining in the Nant-y-moel area.