Site of Medieval Mill & Mill Leat Cliffwood

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument consists of the remains of a medieval mill leat and site of mill. The mill leat runs north-east to south-west, with the site of the mill at its south-east end. The leat has a bank and ditch running for a length of 450m and consists of a substantial bank 6m wide, with a silted ditch 3m wide and 0.30m deep. The site of the mill is marked by an embanked pond, a probable sluice on the site of the mill building, set in a hollow. Small scale excavations in 1978 revealed the 2-roomed masonry mill building and its wheel pit. 13th-14th century pottery was found and the silence of detailed house documentation, from 1622 onwards, implies that the mill was by then disused. The site lies in woodland in Porthkerry Country Park.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval settlement and subsistence practices. The earthworks which relate to a dated medieval mill are important because they are well preserved and unusual. This site is a significant relic of a medieval landscape and retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of both intact archaeological deposits, together with environmental and structural evidence, including buried land surfaces. Their importance is further enhanced by their group value.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.