Fernhill Colliery was sunk between 1869 to 1871 by Ebenezer Lewis on behalf of the Fernhill Colliery Company. It was then sold to Messrs. Crawley, John and Oldroyd, who added Nos. 3, 4 and 5 pits.
Two men were killed in a shaft accident here in 1874, when the stage, on which they were working collapsed, they fell into the sump and were drowned. In 1877 it was owned by George Watkinson & Sons, who also owned the nearby Fernhill levels.
During the early 1890’s it became linked underground to the nearby North Dunraven colliery (also known as Blaenrhondda colliery) [Situated where Stelco Hardy stands today].
From the 1896 Inspector of Mines list. there were 537 employed at Fernhill Nos.1 and 2 pits, producing Steam coal and at Fernhill levels there were 91 employed producing House coal. Later along with Tynewydd, Blaenrhondda, and Moscow Level it became under the ownership of Fernhill Collieries Ltd. who run this group until Nationalisation in 1947.
By 1920 the workforce at Fernhill had grown to 1,127 men. This same year work began on sinking Fernhill No.5 pit. From a report 1923, there were 554 working at Fernhill No.1 producing from the Gorllwyn seam. No.2 employed 322, working the Four Feet seam. No.3 had a workforce of 82 producing from the Two Feet Nine seam. No.4 worked the Gorllwyn seam with 272 men. No.5 sinking still in progress. Fernhill and Dunraven levels employed 236, working the No.2 Rhondda seam. In 1938 there was a total of 1,712 men working at Fernhill Nos.1, 2, 3 and 4 pits, by 1945 the workforce numbered 1,253.
During the 1966 the Nos.1, 2 and 4 shafts were closed, leaving shafts 3 and 5, which were linked to the Tower Colliery situated on the other side of the Rhigos mountain, forming a single unit, employing around 860 men, with the coal being raised at Tower.
Fernhill Colliery closed in 1978.
The mine on the Stelco Hardy site was known as TyDraw Colliery, I do not think it was known as Blaenrhondda Colliery.