Prioress Mill and Mill Cottage

Cadw's description

Location

Situated between the river Usk and the A472 about 400m north of Usk College.

History

This water-mill and adjoining miller's house are said to be of C16 origin but externally little evidence remains of this. The house could be C17 but is largely late C20 in appearance and the mill looks to be C18 and C19. It continued to work as a mill until 1978 but was converted to domestic use in 1986. The mill is less modernised in appearance but the details are all of 1986.

Exterior

The building is constructed of roughly squared and coursed local sandstone rubble with some remnants of lime-washing, red brick dressings and artificial slate roofs. The cottage is two storeys (raised from one-and-a-half storeys in 1986) and the mill is two storeys and attics. The mill is of two parallel ranges with an M roof, while the cottage is L-shaped and backs onto the right hand gable end of the mill.
The river elevation, originally the entrance elevation, has a central door to the mill with flanking windows and three windows above; two more windows in the raised section to the right, all are 1986 lattice paned casements. The mill has a higher roofline than the cottage part and has a chimney on the right gable. The left gable elevation has two casement windows on each floor. The large iron overshot wheel is still in situ, this would appear to be C19. The right hand gable has the former miller's house now raised to two full storeys. This has a gabled wing with 3-light casements and the main range has a modern entrance door, plank with an arched head, a plain door and a garage door, with three windows above, all 2-light casements, again all features are of 1986. There is a small ridge stack in the cross-passage position.

Interior

The interior was not available for inspection at resurvey (November 2000). It is apparent that the cottage and the mill were converted into one house in 1986. When listed in 1980 the miller's house was said to have contained a wide stone fire-place, bread oven, spiral stone stair with resting-seat half-way up and a recess in the bedroom for bottle and candles. The mill worked until 1978 and so presumably still had its machinery in 1980, but it is not known what survives of this.

Reason for designation

Included for its historic interest, notwithstanding modern alterations, as a mill building retaining its wheel and other characteristic elements on an historic mill site.