Gwynedd Archaeological
Trust Regional Historic Environment Record
Windmill, Remains of, Parys Mountain
Primary Reference Number (PRN) : 3497 Trust : Gwynedd Community : Unitary authority : NGR : SH4431690513 Site Type (preferred type first) : POST MEDIEVAL WINDMILL Status : Listed Building II, Scheduled Monument
Description : Circular somewhat conical tower of stone rubble with brick dressing. Probably C19th. <1>
A windmill constructed in 1878 as an auxiliary to the existing steam engine (PRN 61492) which pumped Cairns' shaft (68027), and which was connected to the engine by 200' of flatrods moving on dolly posts (PRN 68028). It was unusual in having five sails. It is believed to be the only surviving windmill on a mining site in the United Kingdom. (Gwyn, 1998)
The cairns windmill is a stone-built conical tower mill, which measures 8m in diameter across the base and stands approximately 20m high. Uniquely for Anglesey, it was a five-sailed mill; the cap and all the machinery are missing, but it is believed to have contained an upright shaft driven by bevel-gearing from the sail-shaft, which in turn operated 200’ of flat-rods by means of a crank in its foot. The flat-rods operated a pump in Cairns’ shaft, and were supported on intermediate dolly-posts. The windmill was still operating in 1901. Its importance as the only surviving pump-windmill in an extractive industry in Britain was recognized by scheduling as an Ancient Monument in 1995. (Berks, 2008)
