Dyeing-house at Pandy Llewenan

Cadw's description

Location

Located on the W side of Lyn Liywen, reached via a track leading off a minor road. Mill group including mill, dyeing house and house. The dyeing-house is immediatley S of the former mill, between the mill and the house.

History

A small, free-standing dye-house serving Pandy Llewenan, which was established as a carding, spinning and fulling mill around 1810. The mill was built to replace the original pandy at Pen Llywenan, and is recorded in a survey of the Presaddfed and Dronwy Estate (dated 1808), as the property of Sir John Bulkeley. The pandy was run in conjunction with a smallholding of 17 acres ( 7ha). The inclusion of spinning within the factory was innovative on Anglesey; previously spinning and weaving was carried out at the home, and fulling only carried out at mills. Power looms were introduced to the mill in the 1890s, and new spinning machinery was installed in the former corn-mill (Factory Llewenan) c1900-5, after which time the pandy concentrated on weaving, fulling and dying. A steam engine was installed in the late C19, to power the machinery when water levels were low. In the early C20 the mill was producing woollen material for local use, particularly heavy protective clothing for farm workers. In 1940 the mill was bought by the present owner and began producing tweed for fashion garments and sports jackets, when it was known as the 'Anglesey Tweed Mill'. The mill was the last woollen mill to work on Anglesey, closing down in 1955, when it was recorded as having, amongst other items, a dyeing vat, 2 hand looms and a power loom (on the first floor), and a 120" (3m) warping mill and creel on the ground floor.

Exterior

A small single storey, 2-bay dyeing house, with a door in the W wall offset to the left (N), and a window to the right (S). Rubble walls, limewashed, with a pitched slate roof of small slates. Stone chimney to right (S) gable end, with the base of a second chapel to the N gable end.