The coking ovens at the Bedwas Plant were run by the British Benzol and Coal Tar Distillation Company and operated from 1929 until 1986.
This photograph was taken on the top of the coke ovens whilst one was being recharged with crushed coal from a mobile hopper. It was hot, smoky work and the only protective clothing offered were a pair of wooden clogs. Ordinary soles would have burnt through with the heat of the ovens.