Melin Llynon

This is by far the most famous windmill on Anglesey, as it has been restored to fully working order (the only one in Wales) and is now a tourist attraction. Indeed, it is a symbol of Anglesey, along with the Menai Strait Bridges and South Stack Lighthouse, and often appears on tourist brochures, government documents and other publications and web sites about the island.

The mill was built over seven months in 1775 and 1776 on land near Llanddeusant owned by the surgeon Herbert Jones. Many of the original documents related to the building have been preserved, which reveal a wealth of information about it, including all the suppliers of materials and the costs. The total cost was £529 11s (about £53,700 in 2009 money).

The first miller was Thomas David, who worked it for six years before being dismissed for not maintaining it properly. He was followed by Thomas Jones, who worked it until his death in his 90th year in 1846. His son, also Thomas, then ran it until his death in 1869. His son Hugh then took over the mill.

In 1873 the whole Llynon estate, including Llynon Hall and many surrounding farms, was put up for auction. The Jones family purchased the mill and some nearby fields so that they owned it outright.

Hugh Jones and his elder brother Henry, a corn merchant at the mill, both died in 1879 and the mill passed to their younger sister Ann Jones, who ran it with the help of her brother William Jones and nephew William Prichard (who later went on to run Melin Gallt-y-Benddu in Llanerchymedd).

In 1892 the mill passed to Robert Rowlands, one of seven brothers, born at Melin Drylliau, who ran various mills around Anglesey. He ran it until 1918 when a storm damaged the cap so that it could not turn to face the wind. For a while it was still operated when the wind was from the right direction (south-west) but it eventually closed. It became increasingly dilapidated (as can be seen in the Muggeridge photos from 1936-1949 below) until another storm in 1954 took off the cap, leaving the skeleton of the sails hanging on from the machinery.

Around this time the Anglesey county council began considering restoring one of the windmills to working order, however nothing concrete happened until the 1970s. A report in 1973 by the Royal Commission on Ancient Monuments concluded that the tower was in good condition, but the interior was beginning to deteriorate to such a degree that urgent action would be needed to save it. In 1978 the mill and surrounding farm came up for sale and, after a public campaign, the council purchased it (for £10,000) and set about restoring it.

Reconstruction began in 1979 when the machinery and millstones were removed for refurbishment while the structure of the tower was repaired. Over several years the various parts of the jigsaw were brought back together until finally the mill was back in working order. It was officially opened on 11 May 1984. The final cost of restoration was around £120,000.

Today it is a popular tourist attraction, complete with a tea room and shop, where you can buy whole wheat flour ground by the mill. Tours are also given of the mill where visitors can see how it operates. Details of opening times and facilities are on its web site. An excellent description of the construction and operation of the mill can be found on Donald Perkin's Llansadwrn weather site.

In 2007 the site was expanded with the addition of replicas of two Iron-age roundhouses. These are similar to those that would have been lived in on Anglesey 3000 years ago. The remains of similar structures can be found in various places around Anglesey, such as Din Lligwy. Photographs of the construction of the roundhouses can be seen on the site of Ancient Arts, the company contracted to build them. The extension of the site also includes trails, a newly planted woodland composed of species common to the area in the Iron Age, and an excavated 19th century bakery.

See the mill in action on a windy day in July 2007:

See other images of this windmill at:

More information at:

Next Melin Gwalchmai, Trewalchmai, or go to gallery.

Aerial image


View Windmills of Anglesey in a larger map

 

A new book by Warren Kovach, author of this web site
A-Z of the Isle of Anglesey


We're on Twitter & Facebook


 

About Anglesey History

This is a web site developed by Dr Warren Kovach to celebrate the history of the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales.

Copyright

Copyright © 1995- Warren Kovach, Anglesey, Wales. All Rights Reserved. The photographs and text on these pages may be downloaded and viewed for your own interest, but you MAY NOT distribute them, reproduce them on other web sites, or use them in any form for any commercial purpose without the express permission of the copyright holder.

Last modified 1 September, 2023