Hetty Pit: £300,000 project to restore historic colliery site

  • Wales

A volunteer-led project to restore an historic colliery building near Pontypridd is taking a huge leap forward with more than £300,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The money will refurbish the Hetty Pit's Grade 1 listed headframe, along with installing a permanent air compressor to power its winding engine and improvements for visitors.

Work has already begin to repair elements of the Hetty Pit headframe, along with a new access staircase for visitors

Originally part of Great Western Colliery, the Hetty shaft's steam winder was installed in 1875.

While coal raising ceased in the 1920s, the shaft was retained for ventilation and a second means of entry for the nearby Tymawr Colliery.

Later merged with Lewis Merthyr Colliery (now the Rhondda Heritage Park), the Hetty buildings were finally decommissioned upon the complex's closure in 1983.

Although a preservation order was applied soon after closure, the Hetty site was effectively abandoned and fell victim to vandalism in the years that followed.

The 1875 winding engine originally ran on steam, before being converted to compressed air

In the mid 1990s, a team of volunteers, led by Pontypridd Museum curator Brian Davies, regained access to the site and began the process of restoring the winding engine to working order.

"It's been 30 years of constant gradual improvement of the site, to make it more visitor friendly and of interest to people" explains Aubrey Green, chair of the Great Western Colliery Preservation Trust.

"I'm glad to say that there are a lot of people visiting now from all over the country and from Europe because of the history behind the the engine and what remains here".

The top of the Hetty shaft seen from the fan drift

Work has already been carried out by contractors to replace deteriorated sections on the lower levels of the headframe, while the new air compressor has arrived on site ready to power the engine.

Until now, the Trust has had to hire a compressor to run the engine on an occasional basis.

The new equipment means the winding engine can be operated more regularly, continuing to impress and educate visitors to the site.

Brian Davies - seen here speaking to ITV Wales in 2014 - was the driving force behind the project to save the Hetty site

But this year's progress is tinged with an unavoidable sadness, due to the death of Brian Davies in December 2023.

"It was a terrible shock" says friend Len Smith.

"He loved things like this. He was dedicated to history. He would do anything to tell the story of this place - he was a master of it."

"I think he would be very pleased and amazed at the progress we've made."

While there is still considerable work to be done, the Trust hope to officially open the new compressor in early 2025.