16244

 

II  

Designated  

02/08/1995  

02/08/1995  

Felin Newydd  

 

Carmarthenshire  

Cynwyl Gaeo  

 

Crugybar  

266318  

238473  

 

Sited in valley of Afon Annell below A482 road, immediately to E of road junction with B4302 from Talley. The watermill lies at the W end of a contiguous range (the much altered millhouse runs E); the rear of the range backs into hillside.  

Industrial  

 

Probably C18/early C19 with purchase of French stones in 1810; subsequent machinery probably put in during later C19. The ironwork of the waterwheel is inscribed "William Isaac Carmarthen" on the spokes and "TMWD 1907" on the rim. Typical Welsh spur-wheel gearing system with all the drive mechanism under the hurst-frame. Graffiti and paper stickers within the mill give powerful historical connections of the labour force with Patagonia (eg Cyrus Evans visited Patagonia in 1899). Recently restored including replacement of main drive shaft (1989).  

Simple 2-storey rubble mill with dressed quoins and whitewashed front. Slate roof (continuous with millhouse), large rendered stack to right, oversailing eaves and slate-hung verges. To ground floor right is a wide camber-headed arch with stone voussoirs and old double boarded doors with long strap hinges; a small fixed timber light to left. Two 4-pane timber windows (upper rebuilt?) to gable end over wheelpit containing nearly 4-metre overshot, iron-framed wheel (dated 1907), fed by timber lander to rear. Uphill side of mill with timber half-door flanked by small-pane windows in plain reveals with slate sills. W gable end with waterwheel fed from uphill mill pond and tailrace continues diagonally below the mill to rejoin the Afon Annell.  

Ground floor, originally divided into drive-room and threshing-floor, retains old chamfered and adzed crossbeam with notching for stud partition. Horizontal timber driveshaft runs through external wall to drive pitwheel which is geared through wallower to spurwheel on vertical main shaft supported by massive double uprights at corners of the frame. The main shaft is geared to flanking shafts which drive the two sets of stones on the upper floor. Pair of French stones (purchased 1810) are enclosed in polygonal timber case with square feeder over; the second rougher set with domed head were used for animal feed. Various belt and chain drives linked to the pitwheel operate ancillary machinery (eg rotating cleaners and graders) on the upper floor. Shutes to bagging hoppers are set into the oak timber floor. Shallow-pitch closed A-frame roof trusses with part attic floor, timber brake levers and hoist spindles to apex.  

Good representative example of typical rural cornmill retaining machinery in working order, amongst the last to survive in Carmarthenshire; nearest working mill is 15 km away at Llanwnnen. Unique historic evidence of a link with the Welsh settlement in Patagonia.