Melin Hermon

Cadw's description

Location

Set back from the N side of the A4080 at Hermon, c. 700m SE of the church of St. Cadwaladr in Llangadwaladr.

History

Mid C18 wind-powered corn mill, the foundation of the mill laid on the 8th May 1743. The mill was one of a number owned by the Bodorgan estate, and was formerly known as Bodorgan mill; it was however the only windmill, the others being water or tidal mills. The mill had ceased production prior to the First World War.

Anglesey was once the main grain-producing area of NW Wales, and the exposed nature of the landscape made it ideal for wind-powered corn mills (particularly when water supplies were unreliable). Construction of the mills flourished from early C18 to early C19. After the Corn Laws were repealed in 1846 the market was flooded by cheaper imported grain, which combined with the availability of more convenient sources of power led to the demise of the windmill; by the end of the First World War only a handful were still operating. There are the visible remains of 31 windmill towers on the island, 6 of which have been converted to houses and only 18 remain as full towers; only 2 retain their original machinery and 1 has been restored to working order.

Exterior

Full height, 3-storey windmill tower; circular in plan, with slightly tapering walls of rubble masonry, formerly rendered, and with gritstone dressings. Rectangular doorway with voussoir head and rectangular openings at stages above.

Interior

Some structural timbers remain.

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 volumnes of corn then being produced. Melin Hermon is historically significant as one of the earliest of the surviving towers and for its' associations with the locally important Bodorgan estate.