The Rose Heyworth Colliery was sunk in 1872 by the South Wales Colliery Company. It is thought that the pit was named after Rosina, the wife of Lawrence Heyworth, a Lieutenant Colonel in the army who was the first Managing Director of the South Wales Company. Its first coal was raised in 1874. Many of the workers in the colliery were housed in new purpose-built cottages, Clyn Mawr Cottages, named after Clyn Mawr Canol farm on whose land they were built. These later became known as Newtown and finally Blaenau Gwent Rows.

Lancaster's Steam Coal Company took over the colliery in 1888, and worked it until nationalisation of the industry in 1947. For many years, Rose Heyworth was connected for pumping and ventilation to the South Griffin Colliery further up the Ebbw Fach valley, with Rose Heyworth being the downcast shaft and South Griffin No. 3 pit the up-cast. It was also connected to Cwmtillery, which ventilated some of the Rose Heyworth workings. In 1896 there were 1625 men producing coal from the Old Coal, Big, Three Quarters and Elled seams at Rose Heyworth.

In 1959 Rose Heyworth was integrated with Cwmtillery to become Abertillery New Mine after a new drift mine was driven 1,200 yards to raise the coal from the two pits. The Rose Heyworth Colliery closed on October 9th, 1985.

RCAHMW, May 2008