Bres Colliery - Llanelli, Wales.
N 51° 40.853 W 004° 09.596
30U E 419806 N 5726182
Site of the Bres Colliery, 1794 to 1889, the first deep coal pit sunk in the Llanelli area, Wales.
Waymark Code: WMEQ72
Location: South Wales, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/25/2012
Views: 2
"Bres Colliery was located in Bres Road, Llanelli and was the earliest deep pit at Llanelli. The pit was opened by the local company of Roderick, Bowen and Griffiths in 1794 and was taken over by the Pemberton Family, from the north of England, in 1804 and sunk to the Bushy seam at 177m (580 feet) depth. It was later worked by George Bruin of London and finally by the Llanelly Copperworks Company who incorporated it into their Old Castle Colliery complex with workings in the Rosy, Fiery, Golden and Bushy seams extending almost 3.2 km (2 miles) from the Stradey Fault in the West to the Box Fault in the East. This complex operated under the name "Old Castle and Bres Collieries" until final abandonment in May 1889" Source: (
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Other collieries opened in Llanelly before 1790 were;
• in 1754, John Allen opened pits at Wern, Caeau Gleision, and Caecotton
• Waunhallt and St George were opened in 1766
• and in 1775, Carnarvon and Caenewydd pits, owned by Colonel Cameron
• in 1791, Lady Mansel had collieries at Penyfinglawdd, Sandy, Morfa Bach, Caeperson, Caerhalen, Waunelly, and Cifig
• in 1794, Sir John Stepney leased certain lands to Roderick and Bowen, who opened pits at Llannerch, Talsarnau, and the Wern
•***** They also opened the BRES PIT, ****** and reopened Allen's old collieries at Caeau Gleision and Caecotton
• Other pits opened at this time were Pwll Cae Pulpud, Pwll Cornel, Pwll Merchant, Pwll Melyn, and Pwll Uchaf y Wern" Source: (
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Blue Plaque managing agency: Treftadaeth Cymuned Llanelli ~ Llanelli Community Heritage