The Bres Colliery initially consisted of a single pit whose sinking was commenced in 1794/95. It was finally taken down to a depth of between 550 and 590 feet (sources conflict on this point) with workings carried out in the Rosy, Fiery, Golden and Bushy seams. It operated under four different ownerships and stood idle on a number of occasions. It was the earliest deep pit sinking at Llanelli.

It does not seem to seem to have been a dangerous colliery to work in with only 8 recorded fatalities over its lifetime, but lack of reporting in the first part of the 19th Century might conceal a higher fatality rate.

The single worst accident was in December 1835 when two men and three boys were killed by breakage of the rope lifting them up the shaft in the coal basket.

Final abandonment of the Bres Pit took place in May 1889.

1st Owners

William Roderick of the parish of Llangathen, near Llandeilo, obtained leases of coal under Llanelli Town east of the River Lliedi, at Bres, Wern, Bigyn, Talsarnau and Llanerch, from the Stepney and Golden Grove Estates in October 1794. He entered into partnership with Thomas Bowen of Llanelli, an experienced colliery proprietor of many years standing and with Margaret Griffiths, Bowen’s widowed daughter. Roderick held a one-half interest in the firm of “Roderick, Bowen and Griffiths”, Bowen and his daughter a quarter share each.

Sinking of the Bres Pit and construction of the Wern Canal from the Pit to a newly-formed shipping place on Llanelly Flats (later to be developed into Pemberton’s Dock) commenced shortly after the granting of the leases. Serious water inflow problems were encountered during the sinking and it took some two years to reach a depth of 200 feet, still 100 feet or so short of the uppermost seam (the Rosy) in the region.

Lacking the necessary capital to install a steam engine (an extremely expensive item at that time) Roderick and his partners abandoned the sinking in 1797 and transferred operations to the Wern/Bigyn region where the coal seams lay at much shallower depth. The three partners never recovered from the money lost in the abortive sinking of the Bres Pit and sold most of their interest in the leases, canal and shipping place to the Pemberton Family from the north of England, in 1804.

2nd Owners

The Pembertons did not recommence the sinking of the Bres Pit until January 1808 when a 45 inch diameter cylinder, double-acting steam engine was brought into operation at the Colliery. No details seem to have survived of when coal was first raised from the Pit, but it had been taken down to the Fiery seam at some 370 feet by 1813 and it is likely that coal was being worked by approximately 1811/1812.

They also sank a new pit at Talsarnau (near Bryntirion) to work the seams in conjunction with the Bres, the two-pit complex being referred to as the “Llanelly Colliery”. The Pembertons subsequently lost money in the abortive sinking of a deep pit at Llwyncyfarthwch (near Penallt) in the 1820’s and decided to leave Llanelli and return to their native County Durham where they sank one of the deepest pits in England (1720 feet) at Monkswearmouth near Sunderland.

The "Llanelly Colliery" was advertised for sale or letting in 1829 and George Bruin of Pentonville took a 20 year sub-lease of the pits, shipping place and other assets of the concern.

3rd Owners

Bruin did not take up residence at Llanelli, appointing William Webb of Romsey, Hants, to manage the concern; Webb’s son, William junior, becoming manager of the collieries. Aware that coal within reach of the Bres and Talsarnau pits was becoming worked out, Bruin and the Webbs embarked upon the development of a new coal district in the Penyfan to Maesarddafen region. The sinking of the main pit to what would be the St.George’s Colliery commenced in 1836. When coal was reached in July 1840, working at the Bres and Talsarnau pits was run down, both collieries being abandoned before the close of 1841.

Bruin ceased to have any involvement in Llanelli’s coal interest on the expiry of his sub-lease from the Pembertons in 1849.

An artists impression of the Bres at this time.

4th Owners

In 1852, the Llanelly Copperworks Company obtained leases of the coal interests previously held by the Pembertons and sub-let to Bruin but, at this time, had no intention of re-opening the Bres Pit which had been standing unworked since 1841. Advancing workings from the Company’s Old Castle Colliery broke into the abandoned and flooded workings of the Bres Pit in 1862, causing an inundation with the loss of six lives and serious disruption of coal winnings for several months.

OS Map 1880 showing site of "The Bres" Pit.

Pumping had to be restarted at the Bres Pit to remove water from the workings, a temporary engine being installed for this purpose. To avoid future problems the decision was taken to incorporate the old Bres /Talsarnau workings into those of the Old Castle Colliery, a permanent, large steam engine being installed at the Bres Pit by 1868.

The entire colliery complex with workings extending from the Stradey Fault in the west to the Box Fault in the east was termed by 1871, the “Old Castle and Bres Collieries”. This complex was finally abandoned in May 1889, the Bres Pit being covered over and remaining undisturbed until filled and capped for the building of the Asda Store.