Treharris

History

The town was formed around Harris's Deep Navigation Colliery, which begun coal mining excavations in 1878, after sinking started in 1872. The colliery and village were named after F. W. Harris and his Harris Navigation Steam Coal Company. Originally known as Harris's Navigation Pits, the Deep Navigation shafts were the deepest at the time in South Wales. With the some shafts sunk to a depth of 760 yards (2,280 feet, 695 metres) to access the Nine Feet Seam, 200 yards (600 feet, 183 metres) deeper than any other colliery in the coalfield. Ownership transferred to the Ocean Coal Co. Ltd. in 1893 - so called because the pit supplied the coal for the transatlantic ocean liners, including the Cunard Line. The pit became known as Deep Navigation Colliery and remained in production until 1991. During the early 21st century, like many ex-mining villages in the area, Treharris underwent significant regeneration to the town/village centre. Most, if not all of the land where Deep Navigation was situated has been landscaped and is now part of the new Parc Taff Bargoed, where many of the local football and rugby teams train and play.