Melin Gwna, Bodorgan
Another small mill found while browsing the various mill archive forums online. Apparently in a 2002 survey, Melin Gwna was too overgrown to examine, but did mention there were still buildings present, albeit in a ruinous condition. Based off this, it sounded like it was worth a look, so I stuck it on the map ready for me and @dansgas1000 to have a look at on our Wales road trip.
Melin Gwna has been recorded since the twelfth century, and thus dating from the period of Prince Llewellyn’s administration prior to the Edwardian conquest. Obviously, it would have been a far more rudimentary mill than the one that currently stands. I managed to find a source which lists where mention of the mill is found.
Upon arrival, we followed a public footpath leading next to the river, walking upstream of it until we found the first building. A very small, very ruined house. Completely empty, lacking in features and generally not overly interesting. Carrying on the footpath, we got to a tiny room which contained one undershot wheel mounted directly into the floor, no other machinery remained in the room. There was a small external well just behind this tiny building also.
Moving on further upstream to where the main mill ruins are. Just off the public footpath and navigating down a rocky escarpment is Melin Gwna. It is a 2-storey building, set into a slope on the hillside to allow access to the stone floor through a door on the north-east side. Inside the building is a composite overshot wheel which was constructed by J Jones of Bridge Foundry in Holyhead. It was 4.25m in diameter and 1.3m wide, with a cast iron axle 0.275m in diameter whose outer gudgeon was supported in a stone bearing. An overhead wooden launder was arranged with its last section pivoted, the part above the wheel being tilted by levers from inside the mill to divert water on to the wheel. Inside, two pairs of stones on a wooden hurst frame were underdriven by a typical layout of cast pit wheel (2.28m diameter), wallower (1.2m), great spur gear (2.3m) and wooden-toothed stone nuts. From the crown of the great spur gear an ancillary shaft with wooden pulley wheels drove the sack-hoist and three dressing machines.
A further survey of the mill in 2006 found the roof slates had been removed, and the remaining wooden roof structure and internal floors had collapsed.
Overall, I was pleased with what was found. Not once I've seen mentioned on here before so glad I was able to manage to find so much info on it. I tried my best with the photographs. The internal shots are fine, but the externals are a bit crap as it was so bright on the day we visited.
Overgrown millstone out the front of the building
Onto some of the poor externals of the wheel
Down into the smaller 1st room I came across
Internal shot of the small house at the beginning of the site
Some of the information found
A very old photograph of the site, just after it was abandoned - no date sadly
Canon 80d
24mm f2.8
10-18mm f4.5-5.6
Another small mill found while browsing the various mill archive forums online. Apparently in a 2002 survey, Melin Gwna was too overgrown to examine, but did mention there were still buildings present, albeit in a ruinous condition. Based off this, it sounded like it was worth a look, so I stuck it on the map ready for me and @dansgas1000 to have a look at on our Wales road trip.
Melin Gwna has been recorded since the twelfth century, and thus dating from the period of Prince Llewellyn’s administration prior to the Edwardian conquest. Obviously, it would have been a far more rudimentary mill than the one that currently stands. I managed to find a source which lists where mention of the mill is found.
Upon arrival, we followed a public footpath leading next to the river, walking upstream of it until we found the first building. A very small, very ruined house. Completely empty, lacking in features and generally not overly interesting. Carrying on the footpath, we got to a tiny room which contained one undershot wheel mounted directly into the floor, no other machinery remained in the room. There was a small external well just behind this tiny building also.
Moving on further upstream to where the main mill ruins are. Just off the public footpath and navigating down a rocky escarpment is Melin Gwna. It is a 2-storey building, set into a slope on the hillside to allow access to the stone floor through a door on the north-east side. Inside the building is a composite overshot wheel which was constructed by J Jones of Bridge Foundry in Holyhead. It was 4.25m in diameter and 1.3m wide, with a cast iron axle 0.275m in diameter whose outer gudgeon was supported in a stone bearing. An overhead wooden launder was arranged with its last section pivoted, the part above the wheel being tilted by levers from inside the mill to divert water on to the wheel. Inside, two pairs of stones on a wooden hurst frame were underdriven by a typical layout of cast pit wheel (2.28m diameter), wallower (1.2m), great spur gear (2.3m) and wooden-toothed stone nuts. From the crown of the great spur gear an ancillary shaft with wooden pulley wheels drove the sack-hoist and three dressing machines.
A further survey of the mill in 2006 found the roof slates had been removed, and the remaining wooden roof structure and internal floors had collapsed.
Overall, I was pleased with what was found. Not once I've seen mentioned on here before so glad I was able to manage to find so much info on it. I tried my best with the photographs. The internal shots are fine, but the externals are a bit crap as it was so bright on the day we visited.
Overgrown millstone out the front of the building
Onto some of the poor externals of the wheel
Down into the smaller 1st room I came across
Internal shot of the small house at the beginning of the site
Some of the information found
A very old photograph of the site, just after it was abandoned - no date sadly
Canon 80d
24mm f2.8
10-18mm f4.5-5.6
