Melin Rhosfawr

Cadw's description

Location

Set back from the NW side of the B5110 at the NE end of the village of Brynteg.

History

Windmill tower, built in 1757. The mill is recorded in the Tithe Apportionment of the parish, 1841, as owned by John Hughes Esq and the miller is listed as Richard Owen who, according to the census returns of the same year, lived at the mill house there with his wife, 6 children and a miller's apprentice; by 1851 the mill has been taken over by Richard's son Robert.
The mill is immortalised as 'Mona Mill' in George Burrow's book - Wild Wales (1862), in his search for places connected with the Anglesey poet Goronwy Owen. On his travels he met the then miller, John Jones who ran the mill until 1877 after which it was taken over by his widow, Martha, who then continued as miller until her death in 1889. It continued to operated for a number of years, run by William Jones, but was closed down in 1910, the sails and cap taken down and the machinery sold for scrap.

Exterior

Full height windmill tower of 3-storeys. Sloping circular wall of mortared rubble masonry, partly rendered; roofless. Ground floor doorway has cambered head of voussoirs; 1st and 2nd floor window openings also have voussoirs at head.

Interior

Interior not inspected at the time of the survey.

Reason for designation

Listed as a substantially intact windmill tower, one of only 18 surviving on Anglesey. In early-mid C19 there were over 40 windmills operating on the island, grinding the large volumes of corn then being produced. The mill is of particular interest for its literary associations with George Burrow's book, Wild Wales.