As part of a wider Cadw-funded programme, this project set out to identify and assess medieval and post-medieval mills and water-powered sites across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Ceredigion. Drawing on the Historic Environment Record (HER), an initial review identified more than 1,400 possible mill and water-management sites—though many records lacked detail about the site’s function, date, or association with milling.
Through a careful review, the project team refined the list to 572 promising sites, focusing on those with the greatest archaeological potential. Of these, around 260 mill sites were selected for detailed study, with dossiers prepared for each and plans made to visit up to 200 sites across the three counties.
Fieldwork visits were eventually made to 189 locations. The results revealed a range of survival: 114 sites were found to be ruinous or nearly destroyed, 56 were largely intact, restored, or converted, while others were either damaged, not located, or no longer recognisable as mills. Scheduling and listing recommendations were submitted to Cadw for the most significant sites, along with suggestions for further survey work where appropriate.
