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Seven Sisters (Welsh: Blaendulais: source of the (river) Dulais) is a village in the Vale of Neath, south Wales. It lies 2.0 miles southeast of Ystradgynlais. Seven Sisters is also the name of a community and an electoral ward coterminous with the village, in Neath Port Talbot County Borough.
History
The village of Seven Sisters had always been recognised historically for its coal pit that was located in the middle of what was once richest source of coal in Britain, if not the world. The sinking of the pit began when Miss Isobella Bevan, one of seven daughters of local coal-owner Evan Evans-Bevan cut the first sod of the colliery on Monday, March 11th 1872, leading to its completion in 1875. Initially, Evans-Bevan had wanted to name the pit after his first daughter, Isobella, but reconsidered and named it after all his seven daughters, hence the name of Seven Sisters Colliery. In turn as the community grew around the colliery, it also adopted it's name, Seven Sisters village. At its peak in 1945 the colliery employed over 759 men from the surrounding area.
The first dwellings erected in the village were single storey buildings for the coal miners, named Brick Row. These buildings are still in place today and line Church Road that runs through the village, passing St Mary's Church. More collieries were opened in the surrounding area, such as the demand for coal increased. Nant-y-Cafn or Dillwyn colliery was opened in 1884, Henllan colliery 1911 and Brynteg colliery and brickworks in 1885. All housing in the village prior to the 1930’s was for coal miners, brick workers and railway employees.
However, during the 1950's geological problems and changing economic conditions took their toll on the colliery and in 1963 the pit closed. The men who had been employed at the Seven Sisters were transferred to the nearby Blaenant Colliery, which closed in 1990. After the closure of the Seven Sisters Colliery in 1963 the site was demolished and filled in. Today the site is home to playing fields but the history of what existed in the village still remains, with the pit head winding gear sunk in the ground next to the site of the old colliery.
External links
Neath Port Talbot villages | Neath Port Talbot electoral wards | Neath Port Talbot communities
"Seven Sisters, Wales"