Tintern, Monmouthshire
NP16 6SE - 01291 689228
Enquiry@abbeymill.com
& Area
Tintern is dominated by the ancient splendour of the Cistercian Abbey the romantic location of which moved Wordsworth to exclaim in poetic response.
Tintern hosts a wide selection of hotels, bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation to meet all requirements to make your stay in the Wye Valley complete.
Tintern village follows the banks of the River Wye and is the heart of the lower Wye Valley. Steep, wooded hills, rivers, streams and leafy walks all add to the natural beauty of this unspoiled area.
Places of interest include Tintern Old Railway Station and castles at Chepstow, Caldicot, Raglan and Monmouth. Golf courses in Chepstow, Monmouth and in the Forest of Dean.
There are many enjoyable local walks such as Devil's Pulpit overlooking Tintern Abbey, the Angiddy Valley Wire Works and the Tintern Trail.
For the more adventurous there are two long distance walks of Offa's Dyke, built by the Saxon King and stretching 173 miles, or the Wye Valley Walk.
Leaflets and books about walks* in the area are offered for sale at Abbey Mill.
Whatever the time of year your exploration of the beautiful Wye Valley and the Royal Forest of Dean is sure to delight you.
*The book "Tintern Walks" is available at Abbey Mill priced at £2.95. This book can be posted to you (in the UK) for £3.50 including postage and packing.
Local O.S. maps are also available.
Rolling pins, candlesticks, skittles and wooden coconut shy balls were just some of the products made at Abbey Mill during the 20th century when the upper floor was a thriving wood turnery. Skilled craftsmen worked oak, alder and sycamore into chair legs and spindles, until WW 2 forced the turnery to close.Downstairs a saw mill processed local timber until the 1970s.
There was no emergency stop on the waterwheel which powered the saws, so men working here were in constant danger of cutting off hands or fingers! Inside you can still see the remains of the wheels and belts which drove the saws.
Image aboveDetail from a painting by Donald Floyd,
courtesy of Newport Museum & Art Gallery.
Power came from this waterwheel, one of 22 waterwheels which lined the banks of the Angidy river in the 1800s, providing energy for the Valley's industries. The Abbey Mill wheel is the only one to survive.
The Old Water Wheel and Workings were taken away to be restored with TLC back in November 2008.The Old Water Wheel was made in the 1870's and turned until Thursday 22nd March 1951 - after the Easter Holidays the men returned to work to find that the machines were now powered by Electricity.
April 2009 saw the wheel come back home and turn again at Abbey Mill.
The restoration was a part of an "Overlooking the Wye" project, part funded by the Heritage Lottery.
Why were the wireworks built here?
Making Britain less dependent on imported goods was government policy during Elizabeth 1's reign. Riverside locations, where there was sufficient water power for a mill, were much sought after. The fast flowing Angidy was ideal. It could drive the waterwheels which powered furnaces, forges and wireworks.
Local iron mines and furnaces, nearby woodland to produce charcoal, and easy river access added to the advantages of the Angidy. Originally chosen as a site where brass could be made, Tintern was soon producing some of the best wire in the country and was the first wireworks in Britain to use waterpower to assist the 'wire drawing' process.
By the early 19th century there were 22 waterwheels along a two mile stretch of the Angidy.
Mill at Tintern in 1800
Abbey Mill is the building on the far left. The dam for the mill pond was covered by the main road.
Did you know?
in Tintern, in the year 1568, brass was first made by alloying copper with zinc.
