and the explosion spread almost throughout the district. Killing 45 out of the 48 men who worked in that district of the mine, the tragedy would have been even worse had it not been for maintenance work was being carried out on the O.10 face where otherwise 125 men would have been working. Lethal concentrations of carbon monoxide gas were found to be present. This suggested that the men lost consciousness rapidly and that death occurred within minutes. A public enquiry into the disaster took place, at No 2 Court of Newport Civic Centre, between 19 and 28 September 1960. The Inspector of Mines reported that the probable cause of the explosion was firedamp ignited by a spark from a stone falling onto a steel girder. Merger with Marine Colliery, closure As part of the National Coal Board's strategic move to super-pits in the 1970s, Six Bells was integrated with Marine Colliery at Cwm. All coal after that point was raised through Marine. The whole complex was closed by British Coal in 1988. Guardian memorial The former colliery site has been landscaped and renamed Parc Arael Griffin. It has its own visitor centre in Ty Ebbw Fach just outside the main entrance. With a restaurant, conference and a "valleys mining town experience" room, it is open most days. The Parc is also now a point on the Ebbw Fach trail. In 2010 a high statue called the Guardian was erected near the site of the old colliery to commemorate the 1960 disaster. Designed by Sebastian Boyesen, it was fabricated from thousands of steel ribbons. The statue was unveiled by The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams on 28 June 2010 and has been described as "a Welsh answer to Antony Gormley's Angel of the North". Notable workers at Six Bells Colliery Ness Edwards George Silverthorne - early recruit of the Communist Party of Great Britain. References External links Angel of the valleys at BBC Wales Six Bells at welshcoalmines.co.uk Six Bells at BBC Wales Video showing the demolition of Six Bells Coal House at bbc.co.uk On This Day at bbc.co.uk Collieries in South Wales Underground mines in Wales Buildings and structures in Blaenau Gwent 1960 disasters in the United Kingdom Abertillery