Mathern Mill,

Mathern Mathern ( cy, Matharn; older form: ''Merthyr Tewdrig'') is a historic community (parish) and village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales, about south west of the town of Chepstow, close to the Severn estuary, the Bristol Channel and the M48 mot ...

, Monmouthshire is a

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production of ...

dating from either the late 18th or early 19th centuries. It continued in use as a functioning mill until 1968. Retaining much of its 19th century mill workings, it is now open to the public on an occasional basis. It is a

Grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...

History and description

A mill may have stood on the site since before the 18th century, Cadw suggesting a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

origin, but the current building appears to date from the very late part of the 18th century or the early 19th century. The

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (RCAHMW; cy, Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru; ), established in 1908, is a Welsh Government sponsored body concerned with some aspects of the archaeological, architectur ...

(RCAHMW) supports the view that the mill’s origins are medieval. The brick range facing the road is of c.1840. The mill was little altered from this time until its closure in 1968, and only minor modifications have been made since that date. Of two ranges, the brick-fronted narrower range is of three-storeys and served as the engine house. The secondary range, set back from the road contained the miller's house on the left, and the mill room to the right. Cadw suggests that the main mill-working machinery is intact and in situ, but the interior was not inspected during the re-surveying of the building in October 2000. A

, its listing describes it as "a large and fine early C19 watermill on an historic site, which is believed to retain much of its machinery". The mill is privately owned but opens occasionally. As of September 2016, its owners were planning to re-open the mill for visitors in 2017.

Notes

{{Reflist Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire Watermills in Wales Grade II* listed watermills