Rhondda Colliery

Item details


Name of item:	Rhondda Colliery
Other name/s:	aka Northern Colliery. See also item (RT-10), Rhondda Colliery Railway.
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Mining and Mineral Processing
Category:	Mine machinery & relics
Primary address:	282 and 284 Rhondda Road, Teralba, NSW 2284
Parish:	Teralba
County:	Northumberland
Local govt. area:	Lake Macquarie

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
282 and 284 Rhondda Road	Teralba	Lake Macquarie	Teralba	Northumberland	Primary Address
off Rhondda Road	Teralba	Lake Macquarie	Teralba	Northumberland	Alternate Address

Statement of significance:


	SIGNIFICANCE - 1993: An important local coal mine, which, because it was tucked away over a hill from Teralba, & had its own pub & shops, & a railway unconnected with Teralba, was forgotten by the town. It is significant for its early use of electric coal cutters, & for its long-term use of a private railway system. Colliery history would have considerable local interest if researched & published. The site has great potential as an archaeological & historical resource. Existing buildings, particularly the Manager's House & the Stables, have potential for restoration & re-use in any future development of the site. The site is picturesque & has potential for interpretation as a stop on an Industrial Heritage Trail & as a link with the Great North Walk & with a possible cycleway following the path of the former Rhondda railway. LEVEL of SIGNIFICANCE - 1993: Regional Significance - moderate Local Significance - high (see also RT-10)
	Date significance updated: 07 Jun 16
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Laidley (?)
Physical description:	PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS - 1993: Location: off Rhondda Road to the south, 2.5 km west-north-west of Teralba Railway Station (as the crow flies). Landscape Features: Remaining Rhondda Colliery buildings are scattered around an open valley floor. Most are brick buildings with cgi roofs. The extensive railway network has been removed. The area in the vicinity of the buildings is coarse sandy grassland, surrounded by thick bush. The area of burning subterranean coal is fenced off, with signs warning of subsidence, but no smoke is visible. DESCRIPTION: Individual buildings are listed in the photograph captions, partially reproduced below. Modern brick buildings - said to be a Bath House (hipped roof), Loco Shed(?) (gable roof), & Store (hipped roof) and a CGI clad Workshop (Doring Neg.480.32) Older brick building - with earthen floor, probably c1900-1910. Known as the Railway Shed, but later purpose not identified. (Doring Neg.481.08) Manager's House - the brick-walled circa 1900 house appears in sound condition but neglected. The verandah floor & railing look unsafe. The CGI roof has a hipped front with two return hipped wings, valley between, & a corbelled chimney on each wing. (Doring Neg.481.09) The bullnosed verandah returns around three sides. At the rear of the house is a more recent non-matching gable roofed brick extension. (Doring Neg.480.35) Brick stables - circa 1900, with concrete floor, hipped CGI roof, & numerous small windows, which originally had wooden louvres. Internal stalls have been removed, but concrete water troughs remain outside. The stables are a vivid reminder of the times before machine carted coal, when horses were used in most (drift) mines everywhere. (Doring Neg.481.10) Powder or fuse magazine - of circa 1900, with brick walls & arched brick roof sealed with cement render. This magazine is very similar to magazines at Killingworth Colliery (KW-04) & West Wallsend No.1 Colliery (WW-02). (Doring Neg.481.21)
Modifications and dates:	Mine closed. Some colliery buildings demolished. Rhondda township totally demolished. Railway removed. Remaining buildings abandoned or adapted for trucking depot. Sewage effluent said to be pumped into mine to quench fire.


Current use:	1993: Trucking depot. Also used as a sink for sewerage effluent pumped from (? Wakefield).

History


Historical notes:	HISTORICAL NOTES - 1993: Laidley's Rhondda Colliery opened 1900. Town grew with houses, shops & hotel. Electric coal cutters introduced 1907. Bought by R&W Miller 1939 & renamed Northern Colliery. Coal seam close to surface & caught alight in bushfire c1971. Mine closed & still burning underground. Township & many mine structures demolished. Site & remaining buildings now a trucking depot.

Recommended management:

RECOMMENDATION - 1993: The colliery history would have considerable local interest if researched & published. The site has great potential as an archaeological & historical resource. Existing buildings, particularly the Manager's House & the Stables, have potential for restoration & re-use in any future development of the site. The site is picturesque & has potential for interpretation as a stop on an Industrial Heritage Trail & as a link with the Great North Walk & with a possible cycleway following the path of the former Rhondda railway.

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Statutory Instrument	List on a Local Environmental Plan (LEP)	21 Jun 08
Recommended Management	Carry out an Archaeological Assessment	21 Jun 08
Recommended Management	Document and prepare an archival record	21 Jun 08

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Local Environmental Plan	Lake Macquarie Local Environmental Plan 2014	167	10 Oct 14
Local Environmental Plan	Lake Macquarie Local Environmental Plan 2004	TA-17	19 Mar 14

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
City of Lake Macquarie Heritage Study	1993	TA-17	Suters Architects Snell, Dr J. Turner, C & MJ Doring Pty Ltd	Doring	Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written	Singleton, C.C.	1966	"The Short North", Aust.Railway Hist.Soc. Bn.340, Feb.1966.
Written	various contributing authors	1989	'Neath Mount Sugarloaf, (Book 3 of 3)
Written	various contributing authors	1988	'Neath Mount Sugarloaf, (Book 2 of 3)

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

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Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Local Government
Database number:	1910195

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