Ruins of 1800s colliery building unearthed
RUINED remains of a 19th-century colliery building have been uncovered at an opencast mine.
The building was discovered during surface mining work at the Ffos-y-fran coal operation near Merthyr Tydfil.
It is thought to be the remains of the Tyle Dowlais pit building, with early research indicating it dates back to the early 1800s.
Colin Roach was driving along a road near the site on Friday when he saw the structure.
He returned to the site on Monday with his drone and flew it over to get a closer look.
“It’s quite a strange-looking building,” Colin, 40, said. “I thought it was the ruins of a castle or something there.”
Colin posted his footage online and got in contact with his friend and local history buff Anthony Thomas.
The pair asked Miller Argent, who run the site, for an explanation, and on Tuesday morning the company issued a statement saying the building was discovered during surface mining work in December last year.
A spokeswoman said the Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust (GGAT) and Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council’s planning department had been notified.
A statement read: “In conjunction with GGAT, we have appointed consultants Archaeology Wales to conduct a full investigation of the building and we anticipate they will commence their work in May 2018.”
The company says visits to the site by the public are not possible due to the safety risk.