Black Vein and Risca North Colliery disasters to be remembered with memorial plaque

Waunfawr Park in Crosskeys lies across the old Black Vein Colliery and close to the Risca North Colliery.

The Black Vein Miners Memorial Society are asking the community to come together to raise funds to purchase the memorial plaque.

(An image dated 1900 of the Black Vein Colliery in Risca)

Secretary of The Black Vein Miners Memorial Society, Stephen Lyons, explained that the plaque will be put in front of the bandstand on Waunfawr Park as this is a location where a lot of the miners lost their lives during a disaster in 1860.

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He said: “The 1860 Black Vein Colliery disaster was, at the time, the largest of its kind in Wales and the second largest in the UK. 142 men and boys lost their lives.

(The lovely image of Waunfawr Park shows the band stand, where the memorial plaque will be placed. Picture: South Wales Argus Camera Club member Danielle Orchard)

“Risca is the only place in South Wales that I can think of that doesn’t have a public memorial for the miners who lost their lives."

Black Vein Colliery opened in 1841 and became known by locals as the death mine due to the many deaths that occurred, by accidents and disasters.

While the plaque will remember all who died in the colliery and its sister colliery Risca North Colliery, it will highlight the major disasters at both.

(The design of the plaque. Picture and design by Stephen Lyons)

There is a poignant image of two widows going to be displayed on the plaque, in a nod to a pen and ink drawing of the 1880 disaster at Risca North Colliery where 120 people died. In it, a widow from the 1860 Black Vein disaster is seen comforting a newly widowed young woman.

The text on the memorial was inspired by Reverend Charles Spurgeon, who delivered a sermon at a church in Strand a week after the 1860 disaster, titled The Wailing of Risca.

(The drawing of the 1880 disaster at Risca North Colliery which saw 120 men and boys lose their lives. The drawing inspired the design of the memorial plaque)

Mr Lyons hopes that the community can come together to raise the funds for the stone.

He is hoping that together, they could raise £500 and then get some organisations to potentially match this.

So far, there has been just over £100 raised since July 19 when the first post was published. Mr Lyons has hoped that there can be a community feel to keep alive the memories of those who died, many of whom living very close to the sites.

Donations are being accepted in cash through a red collection box at the Exchange Post Office in Risca and

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