History in Structure

Melin Maengwyn

A Grade II Listed Building in Gaerwen, Isle of Anglesey

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Coordinates

Latitude: 53.2233 / 53°13'23"N

Longitude: -4.2698 / 4°16'11"W

OS Eastings: 248563

OS Northings: 371984

OS Grid: SH485719

Mapcode National: GBR 5J.0TH3

Mapcode Global: WH431.D70T

Plus Code: 9C5Q6PFJ+83

Entry Name: Melin Maengwyn

Listing Date: 30 January 1968

Last Amended: 20 October 1998

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 5494

Building Class: Industrial

ID on this website: 300005494

Location: Set back from the N side of the A5(T), c750m E of the new church of St Michael, Gaerwen.

County: Isle of Anglesey

Community: Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog

Community: Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog

Locality: Gaerwen

Built-Up Area: Gaerwen

Tagged with: Windmill

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Gaerwen

History

Built in 1802. Successive generations the Williams family operated Melin Maengwyn but never owned the mill. Once part of the Plas Newydd estate, the mill was bought c1860 by Hugh Pritchard, a successful baker from Liverpool (the mill is still owned by his descendants). For the last few years of its working life the mill was operated with only 2 sails, additional power being provided by a steam traction engine. The mill finally ceased working just after the First World War; during a storm lightning struck the endless chain, fusing the metal, and strong winds then toppled the cap.

Anglesey was once the main grain-producing area of NW Wales, and the exposed nature of the landscape made it ideal for wind-powered corn mills (particularly when water supplies were unreliable). Construction of the mills flourished from early C18 to early C19, with over 40 operating on the island by 1835. After the Corn Laws were repealed in 1846 the market was flooded by cheaper imported grain, which combined with the availability of more convenient sources of power led to the demise of the windmill; by the end of the First World War only a handful were still operating. There are the visible remains of 31windmill towers on the island, 6 of which have been converted to houses and only 18 remain as full towers; only 2 retain their original machinery and 1 has been restored to working order.

Exterior

Full height, 4-storey windmill tower; circular plan, with slightly tapering walls of rubble masonry, originally rendered (some render remains). Roofless and capless. Opposing doorways at ground floor and rectangular windows at stages above, with segmental heads formed of roughly hewn voussoirs; above the N doorway is a slate tablet inscribed with the date and with the initials W / H E, for H E Williams, the first of the Williams family to run Melin Maengwyn. There is also a large (gaping) hole in the NE side of the mill tower, created to allow the removal of the machinery.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a substantially intact windmill tower, one of only 18 surviving on Anglesey. In early-mid C19 there were over 40 windmills operating on the island, grinding the large volumes of corn then being produced. Melin Maengwyn forms a prominent landmark and focal point within the village.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

  • II War Memorial
    Set back slightly from the S side of the A5(T), within a small enclosed area bounded by railings, to the front of Gaerwen Village Hall.
  • II School rooms adjacent to the Church of St Michael
    Located within the church grounds and directly E of the Church of St Michael (new church), Gaerwen, set back from the N side of the A5(T).
  • II Telford Milestone
    Abutting the churchyard wall of the new church of St Michael, Gaerwen; slightly set back from the N side of the A5(T).
  • II Church of St Michael (new church)
    Set back from the N side of the A5 (T) at the western end of the village of Gaerwen, in walled churchyard with lychgate.
  • II Melin Sguthan (also known as Union Mill)
    Set back from the N side of a minor road leading off the A5(T) in Gaerwen, situated c100m N of the new church of St Michael.
  • II Telford Milestone
    Abutting a field wall, set back slightly from the N side of the A5(T), c1.6km E of the new church of St Michael, Gaerwen.
  • II Church of St Michael (old church)
    In an isolated location, set back from the NW side of a country road and reached only by footpath. The church remains lie within an enclosed churchyard, c1.4km N of the new Church of St. Michael, Gae
  • II Church of St. Deiniol
    Close to the centre of the village, within churchyard entered by a lychgate E of the war memorial.

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