The Colliery photographs of John Cornwell
John Cornwell was a freelance photographer who took many photographs of collieries, mostly in south Wales and the English Midlands, both underground and on the surface, during the 1970s and early 1980s. He perfected a method of underground photography using the standard colliery lighting and was able to photograph coal faces, roadways, shafts and equipment with amazing clarity. In addition to photographing working mines he also recorded abandoned mine workings, above and below ground.
John Cornwell was also well respected in the broader field of industrial archaeology. He published a number of books on Welsh and English collieries.
The copyright of his south Wales images is now owned by National Museum Wales.
John Cornwell: Colliery photos
Tirpentwys Colliery 1979
Six Bells Colliery, 1979
Oakdale Colliery, electric locomotive near the pit bottom, c.1978
Oakdale Colliery, coal conveyor attendant, c.1978
North Celynen Colliery, 1975
Markham Colliery yard, 1977
Marine Colliery, 1980
Marine Colliery, 1974, a 'Western' class locomotive - the 'Western Consort'.
Llanhilleth Colliery, the lattice headframe on the No.2 shaft, 1975.
Hafodyrynys Colliery, electric locomotive at the entrance to the drift in 1968.
Cwmtillery Colliery, decorative brickwork on ventilation fan building, 1980
Cwmtillery Colliery pit bottom, 22 November 1977
Celynen South Colliery, 1978.
Blaenserchen Colliery pit bottom in 1979 with supplies and a dram of waste.
Blaenserchan colliery in 1973.
Coegnant Colliery 1978, prop and bar face.
Wyndham Colliery, c.1975
Wyndham/Western Colliery, turntable near pit bottom, c.1979
Treforgan Colliery with the afternoon shift waiting to descend 1979
St John's Colliery, Anderson Strathclyde shearer, c.1979
Overmen inspecting a shearer on the Six Feet Seam, Brynlliw Colliery 15 December 1977
Modern concrete viaduct linking the mine with the washery, Blaengwrach Colliery, c.1977.
Graig Merthyr Colliery, line of drams in the Graigola Seam - note the unsupported sandstone roof, c.1977
Graig Merthyr Colliery yard in 1977 with a long journey of drams waiting to be run into the mine.
Garw Colliery in 1977, with village in the background.
Cefn Coed Colliery, 1973, engine house and downcast shaft headframe.
Cefn Coed Colliery engine house for the Markham engine on the upcast shaft 1973.
Aberpergwm, 1972, entrance of the new drift mine.
Abernant Colliery, miner at a pumping station at pit bottom, 1978
Aberpergwm Colliery, Dosco Road heading machine and auxiliary fan ducting, c.1978
Ty Mawr Colliery, the remains of an underground ventilation furnace which date back to the late 1870s.
Tower Colliery, 'Rex' with his ostler, 1979.
Taff Merthyr Colliery, heading with Dosco road heading machine and auxiliary ventilation, 1979.
Taff Merthyr Colliery in the late 1970s.
Penrhiwceiber Colliery Pit bottom, 1978.
Nantgarw Colliery, 1978, Anderson Strathclyde drum shearer cutting coal on the coal face.
Merthyr Vale Colliery downcast shaft, c.1980
Maerdy Colliery, 1977, empty mine cars waiting at pit top.
Lewis Merthyr Colliery, 1977, hydraulic roof supports in the yard waiting to be taken underground.
Lady Windsor Colliery, steam locomotive with the upcast shaft in the background, 1977
Ffaldau Colliery, 1977, the pit head.
Fernhill Colliery, the jib of an AB 15 hydraulic undercutter on a timbered longwall face.
Deep Navigation Colliery, the downcast headframe, c.1978
Deep Duffryn Colliery, two pitmen inspecting the shaft from the roof of the cage, 1977-78.
Bargoed Colliery, 20 May 1977.
Morlais Colliery, general view looking east across the River Llwchwr, 1978.
Morlais Colliery, a general view, note the derelict engine pumping house, 1978
Cynheidre Colliery,coal drams at an underground loading point, c.1978
Cynheidre Colliery, main trunk road with high speed conveyor, c.1978
Cwmgwili Colliery, 1978, afternoon shift waiting for their ride at the entrance of the mine.
Cwmgwili Colliery, 1978, a Joy Loader and operators ready to commence work.
Betws Mine, the afternoon shift waiting for the manriding train, c.1976
Cwmgwili Colliery, a completed drivage supported by timber, 1978
Ammanford Colliery, 1974, Mr P.A. Jones, Safety Officer inspecting the roof on the last coal face.
Ammanford Colliery, 1974, Gerald Gibson drilling a shot hole on the coal face.
Ammanford Colliery, 1974, a journey of empty drams being lowered into the slant.
Two Blaenavon miners in the timber yard at the end of the morning shift, 1978.
The Big Pit manager, Glyn Morgan, talking to Billy 'Pigeon' Preece (seated), Big Pit 1975
New roadway driven from the drift entrance with conveyor belt carrying coal from the Garw Seam, Big Pit 1975.
Last day for Glyn Morgan, the last National Coal Board Manager, on 28 November 1980.
Junction near pit bottom, Big Pit 1975, now part of the museum's underground tour.
General surface view, Big Pit 1975.
Forge level, driven c.1812, later incorporated into the Big Pit underground complex .
Colliery horse returning to Big Pit surface stables from the Washery in 1968.
Bill Gunter, the Big Pit safety officer, on the G11 face in 1979
Bill Gunter standing at the archway to Dick Kear's Slope, driven around 1820. Big Pit.
A mine official examining a section of a cage of a water balance machine, near the pit bottom of the Forge Pit (Big Pit), 1975
Comments - (69)
Dear Lewis Powell
I’m afraid that we only collect images of Welsh collieries, it might be worth contacting the National Coal Mining Museum for England, Caphouse Colliery, Wakefield to see what they have in their collections.
Best wishes
Ceri Thompson, Curator, Big Pit: National Coal Museum
Dear Mr Wray
I don’t think that the compensation was for the same accident.
Another John Lewis was killed on 16th January 1903 under a fall of coal at Castle Pit which was owned by the Plymouth Company. The compensation probably refers to this incident.
If I can be of any further help, please let me know.
Best wishes
Ceri
There was an inquest during which it was stated that he was working at the Clynmill Coal Level belonging to the Plymouth Company.
On 3 April 1903 an Ann Lewis (John's widow was named, Ann) and her children received a compensation award of £300 from Messrs Crawshay Brothers Cynfarthfa Ltd following the death of her husband.
I'd be grateful for your observations, please, about 1) whether this payment was for John's accident (I can't tie Clynmill to the Crawshays) and 2) in exactly which colliery did the accident occur. An OS map dated shows the Clyn mil Pits levels 1 and 2 being disused.
I started at Bargoed Pit and moved on from there to Anderson Mavor (Anderson Boyes eventually Anderson Strathclyde)
Ystrad Mynach College gave me the education I needed for my career.
Now retired with 45 years in coal mines.