PONTYPOOL GLYN PITS
Keps

This photograph was taken while standing in the top of the filled-in upcast shaft. Here can be seen the tunnel that joined the bricked 'Air Duct' that removed the foul air and gas from the mine after traversing the mines workings. The Air duct at this point is about six feet below the surface. It rose out of the ground and travelled for about thirty feet along the surface, to where the fan removed the foul air and gas to atmosphere. The round horizontal bar is the one that held the 'Keps' in position, unfortunately in this case in a downturned position, with the Keps out of sight, but they can be seen in the next photograph.
Below is another photo of the Keps, this time, from the other side of the shaft top. The Keps are the upright iron bars that kept the cages stabilised while at bank. When it came to descending the shaft the banks man would signal the engine driver, to lift the cage while he operated a lever, which pulled back the Keps, giving the cage clearance to descend the shaft.
