Time to kill, so another little corn mill, one of many I looked at last year.
I suspect few would bother with this, but I like these ancient pigeon-infested places.
There was just enough left to make it interesting even though the waterwheel and most of the corn grinding mechanism has gone.
I haven’t been able to find any real history, not even when the place was built.
Judging by what’s currently inside, the ground floor was last used to house animals, maybe for Cellar Farm next door.
An extension at the back is still in use as a shed.
A sign on driveway implies the mill may be part of the Bodorgan Estate, which owns a lot of land in these parts.
An 1888 map together with the current satellite view showing how the water was diverted from the neighbouring river (Afron Ffraw).
Front view of the L-shaped building. The waterwheel would have been attached roughly where the red X is.
An old photo from 1954 - no obvious wheel and the windows are already bricked up, so the mill has been disused for a long time.
The mill pond behind, now soggy pasture.
Downstairs.
H.G was ‘ere (1913?)
The waterwheel axle would have come through level with the base of the upright shaft, terminating in a large bevelled gear (the ‘pit wheel’), now gone.
This meshed with remaining gear (the ‘wallower’) on the shaft.
The remains of a belt-driven winnower is visible at the back.
The sloping cylinder is a sieve for the flour, with fragments of more wooden machinery on the floor.
Upstairs the large gear at the top of the shaft has gone - this would have driven the grinding stones and other machinery.
Sack hoist.
Outlines of four pairs of stones - the holes in the middle were for adjusting the height of the top stones from below.
The curved pegboard attached to the wall on the left is the remains of the mill’s ‘throttle’.
This was used to fix the position a lever attached to the axle at the bottom left which extends through the wall, and would have controlled a sluice outside.
The axle can just be seen in the exterior shot, above where the water would have been channelled across to the wheel.
Not everyone’s idea of fun perhaps, but the throttle mechanism was interesting - haven’t seen many of these before.
I suspect few would bother with this, but I like these ancient pigeon-infested places.
There was just enough left to make it interesting even though the waterwheel and most of the corn grinding mechanism has gone.
I haven’t been able to find any real history, not even when the place was built.
Judging by what’s currently inside, the ground floor was last used to house animals, maybe for Cellar Farm next door.
An extension at the back is still in use as a shed.
A sign on driveway implies the mill may be part of the Bodorgan Estate, which owns a lot of land in these parts.
An 1888 map together with the current satellite view showing how the water was diverted from the neighbouring river (Afron Ffraw).
Front view of the L-shaped building. The waterwheel would have been attached roughly where the red X is.
An old photo from 1954 - no obvious wheel and the windows are already bricked up, so the mill has been disused for a long time.
The mill pond behind, now soggy pasture.
Downstairs.
H.G was ‘ere (1913?)
The waterwheel axle would have come through level with the base of the upright shaft, terminating in a large bevelled gear (the ‘pit wheel’), now gone.
This meshed with remaining gear (the ‘wallower’) on the shaft.
The remains of a belt-driven winnower is visible at the back.
The sloping cylinder is a sieve for the flour, with fragments of more wooden machinery on the floor.
Upstairs the large gear at the top of the shaft has gone - this would have driven the grinding stones and other machinery.
Sack hoist.
Outlines of four pairs of stones - the holes in the middle were for adjusting the height of the top stones from below.
The curved pegboard attached to the wall on the left is the remains of the mill’s ‘throttle’.
This was used to fix the position a lever attached to the axle at the bottom left which extends through the wall, and would have controlled a sluice outside.
The axle can just be seen in the exterior shot, above where the water would have been channelled across to the wheel.
Not everyone’s idea of fun perhaps, but the throttle mechanism was interesting - haven’t seen many of these before.
