There was originally a colliery named "Cwm Colliery" at this site in Beddau, just south of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, that was sunk in 1909.
No coal was actually extracted until 1914, however, and then it came from two shafts, Margaret and Mildred which were over 750 yards deep.In 1928 the colliery was taken over by Powell Duffryn Associated Colleries Limited, and at this point it employed over 1000 men.
It operated under their name until 1948 when the National Coal Board (NCB) was established to manage the nationalised coal industry in the UKIn the 70s, the cokeworks alone employed 1,500 men and produced some 515,000 tonnes of coke each year. It continued to do so until 1986, when the NCB was privatised.
The colliery ceased production at this point, but the cokeworks were bought buy CPL Industries and continued producing coke right up until 2002.