Talgarth Mill
Talgarth Mill
The mill building here dates from the early or mid-19th century. The roof is of stone. Slate became the preferred roofing material in this region later that century.
The building was a weaving mill initially. At various times it was used to grind corn, generate electricity and produce feed for farm livestock. It closed c.1970. Unusually the wheel, cast in Brecon, has five spokes. Even numbers of spokes were more common.
The mill belonged to the Earl of Ashburnham, a major landowner in the area. After his death, the estate was sold off, piecemeal, at auction in 1913. Talgarth mill was bought by the tenant, George J Lewis. He paid £1,025 for the property which included the three-storey mill, a pair of millstones, corn-grinding machinery, the mill race, a flour-dressing machine, a stable with three stalls, a room containing an electric storage battery and pigsties. He had previously been paying £30 a year in rent.
At the time there was also an electric engine shed on the premises, owned by the local electricity company.
The mill had fallen into disrepair by 2010, when the local community restored it to working order with the help of the Big Lottery Village SOS fund and other grant providers. A new oak axle was installed for the mill wheel. A new building was added for a café and bakery, built in a modern style but echoing elements of the older structures on the site.
The restoration was filmed for a BBC television programme called Village SOS. The mill is worked by volunteers and the flour they produce is sold in the shop on the site.
Postcode: LD3 0BW View Location Map