old pictures

melin tregwynt

Our Mill dates from the 18th century. It was originally part of the nearby Tregwynt estate. At that time the Harris family of Tregwynt Mansion owned all the surrounding land, stretching from just above Fishguard to beyond Mathry. Originally a corn mill, records show that it later became a fulling mill (also known as a pandy mill). Water from the local stream was used to drive hammers and beat the woollen cloth to clean and soften the fabric. In those days it was known as Dyffryn (Valley) Mill.

henry & esther

In 1912 Henry Griffiths bought the mill for £750 and moved from Efailwen with his new wife Esther. Henry.s family originally ran a pub at Glandy Cross, but both his parents died young, so he went to live with his cousin Stephen who was a weaver and taught Henry how to weave. The 25 mile journey to their new home took a whole day by horse and cart. They renamed it Tregwynt Mill after the original estate.

our family

My grandfather Henry with his wife Esther and their two sons Benjamin who was born in 1914 and his younger brother Howard who was born in 1916. Sadly Esther died young and at the age of 14 Howard left school to work with his father in the mill.

henry and howard in mill

This photo taken in the 1940’s shows Henry griffiths operating the spinning mule, whilst behind him, his son Howard weaves tweed on a flying shuttle loom. The carding engine with its huge rollers and the leather belts which drove all the machinery can be seen in the background.

howard warping

My father Howard setting up the warp before weaving.

henry at rhe spinning mule

howard at the loom

Howard Griffiths weaving one of the old Hattersley shuttle looms that were used in the mill until the late 70s. The shuttles flying back and forth made them very noisy and the weave patterns were created by linked metal cogs in a long chain, a very early form of mechanically driven binary computer.

the spinning mule

bobbins hanging on an old loom

the first car

Henry & Howard Griffiths with the first car at Melin Tregwynt. This smart 1933 Morris was one of the very first private cars in the area. It replaced an earlier ford van, and before that all deliveries were made by horse & cart.

grandfather and me

I never really knew my grandfather. I was only a few months old when he died in 1954. This is the only picture of the two of us together.

mum dad & me

Me with mum and dad outside the mill in the 1950s.

henry dogs sepia cmyk.jpg

glyn at loom.jpg

sheep.jpg

Sheep and spring lambs being herded on a Pembrokeshire hillside in the 1960s.

dad with visitors to the mill

Howard Griffiths proudly displays the Melin Tregwynt St David’s Cross double cloth pattern. This design was woven on traditional flying shuttle looms over a 20 year period from1960 onwards.

dad selling on waterloo station

My father Howard Griffiths selling blankets on waterloo Station in 1967 as part of a Wales in London promotion

eluned in shop

Regular visitors to Melin Tregwynt will remember my mother Eluned Griffiths behind the counter in the millshop. She worked here for over 50 years.

henry & howard at mill door

This photograph was originally taken for the magazine Country Life back in the late 40s.