13292

 

II  

Designated  

10/03/1980  

16/12/2004  

Windmill House  

 

Vale of Glamorgan  

Llantwit Major  

Cowbridge / Y Bont-Faen  

Llantwit Major  

297156  

169342  

NW  

About 900m north-west of the Church of St. Illtud in the direction of Llanmaes.  

Industrial  

 

Probably built about 1820, possibly by Arthur Riddle, millwright of Cardiff, who built Boverton Mill. The last grinding at this mill was made about 1848. However, the mill does not appear on the 1840 Tithe map, although the circular enclosure it stands in does. It was undergoing restoration at the time of listing in June 1980. It was considerably altered at that time when converted into Windmill House and is currently awaiting further repairs and conversion. Frampton Windmill is a landmark; it is thought to be one of the few extant windmill towers both in this area and in large parts of the rest of Wales where watermills were always the commoner type.  

Built as a tower windmill of which there remained in 1980 the 3-storey conical tower of coursed squared limestone rubble, minus its cap, internal floors and machinery. This has since been increased in height to 5-storeys plus a roof-top viewing platform. Welsh slate roofs to the two-and-a-half storey attached range. Square-headed window and door openings with stone voussoirs except to one window, while the southern doorway has a keystone. On both north and south sides there is a doorway at ground level (part blocked in north side) and a window above to each of five upper levels. The west elevation is adjacent to a north-south once single storey and attic range of stone rubble, the ground floor doorway at south end of east elevation with a lintel of stone voussoirs and with ledged door; gabled roof with brick stack to south gable. At the north end of this range and on the east side adjacent to the tower there is a lean-to with a window and doorway, both with brick heads, in the front wall. Comparison with the previous listing description suggests that the top two floors of the tower and the upper floor and the attic of the rest have been added, presumably in c1980 after listing. The tower is now five storeys with extra windows on each of the new floors, a concrete cap and a top viewing platform. The extra stonework has been reproduced very carefully, as it also has on the ancilliary building. The building was not accessible at resurvey and the openings are all currently blocked. It is clearly visible from the street but the details could not be checked fully.  

Interior not accessible at resurvey. The whole building was so altered and rebuilt in c1980 that it is very unlikely that any historic features survive internally. Interior of range not inspected at first survey (1980) so its original purpose, in connection with the mill tower, whether storage or corn drying, is not known.  

Included for its special historic interest as a windmill tower and as a notable local landmark.