Bwllfa Colliery, also known as Bwllfa Dare and Bwllfa No.1, was sunk at the head of Cwmdare in 1853. The mine was closed in the late 1930s but is believed to have been retained for ventilation purposes. By 1948 the site was 'disused' and largely demolished, according to the 1953 edition Ordnance Survey 6in map. it is believed that the 1930s steel-lattice headframe had been moved to Tower Colliery (nprn 91586) in 1941. However, after nationalisation of the coal industry in 1947, a scheme to link Bwllfa underground with a reconstructed Mardy Colliery (nprn 33505) included redevelopment of the Bwllfa site and accordingly most of the remaining buildings were demolished and a new concrete headframe (over the existing south shaft), electric winder house and other facilities were constructed. The old south winder house (nprn 33698) was retained but remained in a derelict condition. The colliery ceased working in 1977 but was retained as an escape shaft for Mardy Colliery; by 1991 the site had been demolished and landscaped, forming part of the Dare Valley Country Park (nprn 411714).
(Reference: Rhondda Cynon Taf Library Service: photo 38/134, 'New pit head buildings at Bwllfa Dare Colliery circa 1950')
B.A.Malaws, RCAHMW, 20 January 2009.