An eventfull 200 years

The parish records 0f 1810 the area we now call Treharris was just a small Hamlet with of 27 families employed in Agriculture. By 1870 an area described as Graigberthlwyd (Graig - Rock/Stone Perth - Bush/Hedge Llwyd  Grey) had been established along with another settlement in the Quakers Yard area.

F.W.Harris was the Chairman of a coal company and he arrived in the area in the early 1870’s he decided that it was a perfect location to sink a deep coalmine, he purchased the land off Twyn-y-Garreg farm that decision was the historic event that founded the town of Treharris that has developed to this day.

Huts were built for the sinkers of the mine in 1872 (approximately) and the sinking was complete by 1879, six difficult years after the sinking had begun. Once the colliery was ready to produce coal the demand for accommodation and housing meant that hundreds of houses, chapels, public houses ,public Halls and amenities had to be built and the village grew rapidly, with houses also being built in the small village across the River Taf Bargoed in Trelewis.

This once beautiful valley river was hidden in a tunnel underground so that the Treharris colliery surface could be expanded, it re entered the sunlight at the bottom of the new Viaduct that was built to carry trains through the area, it then travelled down the valley to meet the main river Taff at Quakers Yard.

In 1889, Treharris football club was formed, The football Club is the oldest in South Wales and in 1902-1903 were the founder members of The Welsh Football League.

In January 1893, David Davies’ Ocean coal company took over Harris’s colliery and invested heavily into the mine, they also re named the pit “Deep Navigation” . The Towns growth was almost fully dependant on the success of the mine.

Kelly’s directory of 1901 recorded that Treharris had expanded rapidly into a town, with well built houses, places of business and gas driven well lit streets.
There were around 80 businesses recorded in Treharris in 1901 they were 17 grocers, 9 drapers, 9 shopkeepers, 8 boot dealers, 6 butchers, 4 watch makers, 4 hair dressers, and 3 ironmongers. Also listed were an undertaker, carpenter, saddlers and builders. Samuel Fagot, Solomon Grwsener, and Samuel Joseph (pawnbroker) were three Jewish businessmen in the Town at the time.

In 1909, the Treharris Library became the sixth branch library opened in the Borough, at a total cost of £10,000.

Treharris was a thriving community by 1912 and business was booming in the village. There were now 3 banks, Lloyds, London and Provincial and the Metropolitan bank of England and Wales. Fox Street, Perrott Street and Thomas Street, which led to the railway station, were the three main shopping streets, although small shops were open in streets throughout the village.

Some of the businesses listed in Fox street in 1912, in the Wales Trade Directory were.
Mr. E Jones, Fruit and Vegetable green grocer ,The Navigation Hotel, Fox Street ,R Jones, Boot and shoe maker, Evans and Sons, Grocers ,H. E. Fine, Tailor and Clothier, D. J. Williams Grocer, Edwards and sons, Watchmakers and Jewelers, D. Clee Cycle agents, J Jenkins, Grocer ,David Clee, Ironmongers
J Hill, Boot and shoe maker, Thomas and Thomas the Chemists, the Square, Treharris , W. Griffiths, Butchers, the square, Treharris and the Palace miners institute.


South Wales’ first ever pit head baths was built in Treharris in 1919

During the 1920’s and 1930’s large scale unrest swept through the coalfield and Treharris was badly affected the town played a major role during the years of hardship, suffering and confrontation between the owners and the men. Thankfully the disputes ended by the end of the 1930’s when the Miners Federation had achieved a victory in the struggle on behalf of it’s members and their families.
During the 1940’s the Italians arrived and one particular cafe called Brachi’s was later owned by the Conti, Opel and Spinetti families. Victor Spinetti the famous actor born in 1933 regularly visited Spinetti’s cafe in Treharris, home to his relatives.

During the war Years, Bevin boys arrived to work in the pit and many of the Treharris women went to work in the factories at Treforest which had been requisitioned by the ministry of aircraft production, it was the first time that these ladies had been able to obtain full time work and add to the weekly wages of their families. The essential work order of 1941 tied the Treharris men to their reserved occupation and prevented them from joining the armed forces or from seeking work in the high paid jobs at the munitions factories

In 1947, The National coal board nationalized Deep Navigation colliery and it was seen as a time to celebrate by the people of the town, big things were promised and better pay and working conditions mean happy time for the community.

The seventies saw the return of disputes and the miners were on strike during 1972 and 1974, both times they forced the government to agree to their terms but in 1984 another strike was called for, it lasted for nearly a year, this time the miners lost
The last coal was raised from the colliery on March 29 th 1991 (Good Friday)

The closure of the colliery was to prove a devastating blow to the town and its people but life had to go on, Men and women had to find alternative work and it was a difficult time once again. Men had large redundancy payments but it could not last forever, businesses began to close and the whole structure of Treharris changed.

Treharris from the air, not sure of date but believe it to be between the wars.No sign of Stormtown or Twyn y garreg

Taf Bargoed parc was built on the site of Deep Navigation and it is a wonderful place to walk and enjoy, the river is once more visible in the valley and it is a far healthier place to live. The businesses in Treharris have all but disappeared apart from the thriving take away shops. There are still some left though including the Co Operative which has served the town for decades albeit in different locations.

There were three large public houses in the town for many years but Commercial Hotel, next to Treharris Football club, had to be demolished due to structural damage. The Royal was the last of the three pubs to be built and alongside the Navigation Hotel it has served the town for over 100 years. Times are hard these days and the two pubs need people to use them or lose them.

Three checks that could be used in Treharris over 100 years ago.

During 1992, a year after the closure of the Deep Navigation Colliery, a land slide took place, following heavy rain, that caused the waste material from the pit, that was used to fill in the former viaduct, to slide onto the road below.

This caused major traffic problems and vehicles had to make diversions for a couple of weeks during the expensive clean up operation.

The main Cardiff road was closed betwen Trelewis and Treharris and the footpath that used to run between the Captains hill and Railway Terrace was also partly destroyed and unsafe.

Richard Williams, formerly of Railway Terrace was at the scene within minutes and we have a pictorial history of the events that took place back in 1992.

Thankfully no body was hurt but it certainly proved the value of the small main road that links the two villages.

Here are the photographs that Richard took during the slide and the following day

We will start with the footpath

Below we can see the damaged Cardiff Road

Finally we have some general images of the land slip, looking up at the Viaduct and from the river. You will see some pictures of the last part ofv the Colliery washery and coal processing building...that was demolished later that year.

Richard Williams re visited the area a few years later, this time Navigation close had been built, once again there was problems with the tip. It is a different place Today and the tip is no longer a danger...the river flows across the top of the valley and down a waterfall.