BFI

This first instalment of what would become Mining Review's long-running A Pit Is Reborn series looks at the redevelopment of Nantgarw Colliery in South Wales. Previously abandoned in 1927 as uneconomic, twenty years later work began on an extensive redevelopment.

As the film emphasises, redevelopment isn't just about updating the mine itself and ensuring that it's fitted out with the latest technology. A new power station will be needed, as will a plant to deal with the by-products of the coke conversion process - as the new Nantgarw is intended to be the last word in environmental friendliness.

To this end, the film also shows the construction of a model village, designed to house the two thousand people who will be working in or near Nantgarw. The pit began operation again in 1950, and continued to function until 1987, when it was again shut down after being branded uneconomic.

Michael Brooke

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