A NEW book will document the rise of one of South Wales’ most prominent coal companies and its subsequent impact on the surrounding areas.

The Tredegar Company – One of the South Wales Coalfield’s Big Three is the latest book written by three-time published author, Leslie Shore.

This is Mr Shore’s third book; having published Vickers’ Master Shipbuilder: Sir Leonard Redshaw (2011) which focused on the life of Redshaw, who oversaw the building of HMS Dreadnought and the United Kingdom’s first nuclear-powered submarine; Peerless Powell Duffryn of the South Wales Coalfield (2012). His latest work The Tredegar Company is a sequel to the latter.

The book focuses on The Tredegar Iron Company, who were responsible for opening many steam coal collieries in and across the Sirhowy Valley during the 20th Century, as well as the impact that collieries had on the development of the surrounding areas.

Primitive coal mining began in the Sirhowy Valley some years before 1768 when miners dug for coal from patches in the vicinity of the later town of Tredegar. Following the formation of the Tredegar Iron & Coal Company in 1873, a series of deep mine collieries such as Pochin and Markham were opened from the town of Tredegar south down the Sirhowy Valley to Wyllie Collier.

Mr Shore said: “As the supply and demand for coal grew during the early years of the twentieth century, local business men in Wales were looking for new opportunities to fill the demand.”

The book describes an era of development and industrialisation in the Sirhowy Valley and a corner of the Rhymney Valley. The book features the people that made the history as well as the technical aspects of iron and steel making and coal mining-colliery engineering.

Additionally, there are wider topics covered such as the birth of communities from jobs, industrial relations as well as the socio-political change across South Wales.

110 years ago on the April 20, 1907, was a sod cutting ceremony held in the Sirhowy Valley to mark the opening of Oakdale Navigation Colliery, an event Mr Shore describes as being “very well received by people” and compared the momentous occasion to “the launching of a ship.”

He explained: “The Oakdale Colliery was one of, if not the major colliery of the Sirhowy Valley. The colliery employed nearly 3,000 men and by its peak, they were producing one million tonnes of coal every year.”

Born in the Rhymney Valley at New Tredegar when it was a vibrant coal mining town in the South Wales Coalfield, Mr Shore now lives in Ulverston for nearly thirty years with his wife, Pamela, a retired head of year teacher.

The book’s final chapter deals with the fate of such collieries under National Coal Board control and ends with the closure, due to financial reasons, of Oakdale Colliery in 1989.

Overall, Mr Shore’s latest book comprises more than 200 pages, and features around 160 sketches and illustrations. There will be an official book launch by Mr Shore himself at the Oakdale Football RFC on May 17 from 3pm to 4.30pm.

The book, which is set for release on May 17, will be published by Black Dwarf Lightmoor publishing and can be bought for £25 at their website lightmoor.co.uk