Restored mill could be a model for us to build upon
The town of Talgarth nestles beneath the Black Mountains of Wales, bearing resemblance to any and every small Irish market town.
At the centre of the town two rivers, the Enig and Ellywe, combine. These conjoined rivers form a tributary to the Llynfi, which in turn feeds to the Wye and joins up with the Severn estuary.
The meeting place of these two rivers is a natural crossing point giving this place a reason for its existence. Both rivers drop over a weir just a short distance from the town centre.
This ideal combination of ingredients manifested itself in the establishment of a Flour Mill in Talgarth in the 18th century.
Situated near the town centre, the mill enjoyed a powerful run of water, benefiting from the combined strength of both rivers.
Better still, the drop in the river as a result of that weir allowed the mill designers to divert water through a race, retaining all that pent-up energy and directing its flow directly at the top of a water wheel.
An overshot mill wheel, as used in Talgarth Mill, allows water to be deposited in timber buckets fitted around the circumference of the water wheel.
In this way, the flowing water hitting the mill wheel provides force from both the momentum of the water and the weight of the water.
From an engineering point of view, this overshot millwheel construction offered as much as two-and-a-half times more efficiency than a paddle-type design where paddles simply sat in a flowing river, and there lies to story of how Talgarth Mill came to be founded.
The mill was used to grind corn and traded for well over a hundred years. Newer, more efficient and more advanced technologies such as electrically operating steel milling equipment announced the death knell and it finally shut in 1946. Indeed the story of Talgarth also offers an interesting reflection of our own famine history.
Back in the early 1800s, corn prices in the UK (and Ireland) were kept artificially high through massive import tariffs known as the Corn Laws.
It could be said that these laws contributed to the Irish Famine, with corn being so unaffordable it was not even contemplated as a substitute when the potato crop failed.
After the Famine, the corn laws were abolished.
Large importations of wheat from America enabled strategically located mills near ports to gain advantage which contributed to the demise of local mils.
After 1946, the building at Talgarth changed use before falling into disrepair.
The community decided to breathe some new life into the mill over the past number of years.
A number of proposals were considered including the conversion of the building into a small hydro-electric generation plant.
Thankfully, this fantastic mill was, however, restored to its former glory.
Of course, extensive work was undertaken in repairing and refitting the running gear at Talgarth Mill.
Interestingly many of the cast iron parts at the mill are original.
Nowadays, corn milled in this traditional way couldn’t normally be expected to compete with modern commercial production methods, but this mill is different.
In addition to getting the innards fully functional, the restoration project also involved the conversion of some of the other buildings in the complex to a café, craft shop and bakery.
This new venture produces artisan food, and even allows visitors to enjoy a “Millers Experience Day” where visitors firstly make their own flour using traditional methods followed by a course on baking.
The restoration of the buildings was part funded by the UK’s National Lottery.
The centre now acts as a focal point and tourist attraction for the town. The mill and gift shop are manned by volunteers with the café and bakery providing employment for locals.
Back closer to home, I wonder are there buildings similar to Talgarth Mill within our own communities that could create a similar economic microcosm and boost our attractiveness for tourists?
Chartered tax adviser
Kieran Coughlan,
Belgooly, Co Cork.
(086) 8678296
