Universal Colliery Memorial, Senghenydd

Description

Universal Colliery, Senghenydd, operated between 1893 and 1928. At the height of its production, it supplied over 10,000 tons of coal a week to the British Fleet based in Scapa Flow during World War One.
An accident in 1901 killed 81 men, and on 14 October 1913 Universal was the scene of the worst ever mining disaster in the UK when an explosion killed 439 men and boys. A memorial to the disasters stands nearby. The memorial takes the form of a colliery headframe set on a raised blue-brick platform with a red-brich surround topped by iron railings. A stone set underneath the headframe carries a bronze plaque which has the following inscription:
"This Memorial commemorates the 439 men who died in the explosion at Universal Colliery, Senghennydd, on 14 October 1913 and the 81 men who died in the earlier accident in 1901
Er cof am y 439 gwr a fu farw yn y danchwa yng Nglofa Universal, Senghennydd, 14 Hydref 1913 a'r 81 gwr a laddwyd yno mewn damwain gynharach yn 1901 Erected 14 October 1981"
Following closure, the site was left derelict for many years; buildings were demolished and the two shafts were filled and capped in 1985. Today there are no significant remains of the colliery apart from grassed-over waste tips and a dismantled tramway, both adjoining on the north west, and the shell of the former office building to the north. The site is occupied by a timber yard; however this concern has recently closed.
This article tells the story of the disaster: http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/Theme/3-community-stories
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