First published: 04/09/15.

Tom Livesey

Blaenavon Industrial Landscape

Blaenavon Industrial Landscape (Inscribed)

Blaenavon Industrial Landscape by Tom Livesey

I went to Blaenavon in June 2013. From Abergavenny station my friend and I took a taxi up the steep steep hill to Blaenavon. The main attraction of the town is the Big Pit mine, which is a former coal mine that operated until 1980.

You can go down the pit on a guided tour with a real ex-miner, and it’s all free, so well worth doing. The miners have adapted well to being tour guides, and have a real bonhomie with the visitors. We were given hard hats with headlamps to put on, as well as a belt with a battery and a carbon monoxide safety device. Coming out of the cool, dank mine was a (literal) breath of fresh air, as the weather was unusually – for Wales – warm and the sky blue.

After Big Pit we headed off toward the village itself to see the ironworks. We were stopped along our way by the sight of a brewery that had a “self-tour” available, including a sample of ale all for £2.50.

At the ironworks they used to smelt the iron ore that was dug out of Big Pit, turning it into useful iron products. The mill employed 5000 people at its peak.

Comments

No comments yet.

Log in to post a comment