Melin y Bont (Melin Isaf, Bryn Du)

This mill is unique on Anglesey in that it had both wind and water powered machinery in the same building. The water wheel in the lowest floor and the sails on top both connected to a central shaft that ran the millstones. The miller could engage and disengage clutches to select which would drive the stones. This system meant that the sails had to rotate in a clockwise direction, unlike all other windmills on Anglesey. The mill also powered machinery in nearby buildings through a belt drive and a series of connected rods in a stone covered trench.

The mill was built in 1825 and was called Melin Isaf ("lower mill") to distinguish it from the other windmill in Llanfaelog, the nearby Melin Maelgwyn (Melin Uchaf, "upper mill"). It operated under this dual power system until 1930 when the sails were removed. It continued to be worked by water power for several more years. In 1973 a fire, started by children playing with matches, gutted the tower, burning out all the floors and leaving the machinery at the bottom.

In 2004 CADW, the Welsh government historic environment division, gave a £40,000 grant to restore the mill in recognition of its unique nature of having the dual power system as well as being one of the two on Anglesey having some of its machinery still in place. This work was finished in 2008 when it was opened as a holiday rental property (to the disappointment of some). The building contractor behind the restoration, Evan Owen, was given the Conversion of the Year Award in Anglesey’s Building Control Awards for this work and was featured in the local press (see page 3 of the North Wales Chronicle, 21 Feb. 2008 as well as the Daily Post the previous day).

The holiday home is owned and run by the Bodorgan Estate and photos of the interior can be seen on their web site where you can also book in if you wish to spend a week in a windmill. The remaining iron machinery is still in place on the lowest floor, alongside the freezer and washing machine.

See other images of this windmill at:

• Windmill World
• Image taken in 1939 of the tower, and 1936 of the stones and pit wheel, from the Donald W. Muggeridge Collection of Mill Photographs, University of Kent, Canterbury
• Amlwch History
• Anglesey.Info
• Geograph

Melin Rhos Fawr, Brynteg, or go to gallery.

Aerial image

View Windmills of Anglesey in a larger map