The name Dinas today denotes a city, but its
original meaning more closely denotes a ‘hill fort', and
on Craig Y Ddinas, the hillside above Dinas, ancient remains
suggesting such a structure were discovered.
Additionally in the early nineteenth century the expansion of mining in the area
led it to become known colloquially as ‘Dinas Y Glo', or ‘The Coal City'.
The village of Dinas has a very special place in any
history of the Rhondda for it is here that the birth
of the coal industry in the valley, and hence the birth
of industrial Rhondda itself, can truly be said to have taken place. This development
began when Walter Coffin, a businessman from Bridgend, bought Dinas farm in
the early 1800's, followed subsequently by the mineral
rights to Gwaun Ddu and Gwaun Adda Farms, with the
intention of prospecting the area for coal. The early
days of mining in Dinas were beset by problems as the
science of geology was at that time in its infancy,
and the extent of the coal measures on the land unproved.
Also the Rhondda at that time was bereft of manpower with experience of the
mining industry, meaning skilled labour had to be imported
and housed in the area.
Additionally at the beginning of the venture Dr.Griffith's
tramroad terminated three miles below Dinas, making the
transportation of any coal produced extremely problematical.
However Coffin eventually overcame these problems and by
1841 the Dinas pits owned by Coffin employed 301 men and
113 boys, making them the largest colliery not connected
to an ironworks in North Glamorgan.
Dinas Ishaf Farm
An example of a long house, i.e. a single, long, low, oblong building which housed
both family and cattle. Renovated in the 19th century, this example has a fire
place beam dated 1638, but is itself possibly earlier in date
The early development of Dinas can be seen on the 1847
tithe map of the area. This shows a clear contrast to the
majority of the Rhondda at that time, which mainly consisted
of scattered farmhouses and the odd cottage, chapel or
church. Dinas however shows the beginning of the Rhondda's
first ‘true' mining community, with the first rows of cottages
built by and owned by Coffin to house his workers, as well
as cottages owned by David Griffiths, also housing Coffin's
workers. Additionally the map shows a chapel with a graveyard
and house attached, Dinas' first chapel ‘Ebenezer' was
built in 1830.
At first the number of immigrants into the area was small,
and mainly consisted of the colliery officials who came
with Coffin from Bridgend, the specialist sinkers of the
pit from Llansamlet and the first batch of miners from
districts such as Penderyn, Llantrisant and Llanharan.
Left: Cymmer Road Dinas
By the 1930's these early workers were supplemented by
a number of agricultural labourers from the Vale of Glamorgan.
Although the extent of Coffin's mining operations were
small by later standards, it was his pioneering vision
that was to provide the catalyst for the later wholesale
coal mining of the area that was to change the face of
the Rhondda for ever.
The first recorded colliery explosion
in the Rhondda occurred at Dinas on New Years Day 1844,
which tragically killed twelve men and boys.
Dinas since 1912 has a dedicated mines rescue station , originally
opened on the 22nd June that year by King George v.
Dinas Colliery
DINAS MINES RESCUE STATION
Coal mining has always been a dangerous occupation, as
well as big disasters which claimed the lives of large numbers
of men and boys many miners were killed through rock falls,
shaft accidents, dram accidents etc. As such between 1889
and 1910 there were an average of over 1,000 mining deaths
every year in Britain, a figure that reached over 1,800 in
1910. This led to the British Government passing the Coal
Mines Act of 1911. Among the provisions of this Act was for
the setting up by the mine owners of Central Rescue Stations
whereby all mines included in the provisions of the Act had
to be within ten miles of such a station.
In the Rhondda, The Rhondda Collieries Rescue Association was formed. This Association
represented more than twenty mining companies in the Rhondda and surrounding
area, which in turn owned more than seventy collieries. The site of the Rescue
station was chosen at Dinas, coincidentally less than 200 yards from the site
of the first shaft sunk in the Rhondda by Walter Coffin, which allowed easy access
to both the Rhondda Fach and Rhondda Fawr valleys. Messrs. Niblett and Davies
of Cardiff erected the building at a cost of nearly three and a half thousand
pounds. The opening ceremony took place on the 27th June 1912 and was attended
by King George V and Queen Mary.
Royal train at Porth carrying George V who opened the
Mines Rescue Station at Dinas 1912
The Rescue Station - Dinas
Despite the decline of coal mining in the Rhondda in
the twentieth century Dinas Rescue Station continued to
thrive. It served as a base station to the other rescue
stations in South Wales, and as other stations began to
close it expanded its coverage to other areas. In its first
seventy-five years of operation the Dinas Mines rescue
Station trained some 2,000-rescue men and attended over
200 emergency calls in the process saving countless miners
lives.
Today the Mines Rescue Station at Dinas continues to provide
a valuable service to the community. Following the privatisation
of the mining industry in the 1980s Dinas has been run by
a private company, Mines Rescue Service Ltd. As well as continuing
its expert rescue function, the station at Dinas also offers
training to private companies, organisations and individuals
in areas such as first aid, breathing apparatus, health and
safety, amongst others.
