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Wales (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Wales => Flintshire => Topic started by: nxf Afonwen N-Wales on Sunday 08 May 16 11:07 BST (UK)
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Hello
This is my first post :O)......
I am looking for people with any information regarding the property called Old Pandy Mill in Afonwen North Wales. I have found a ton of stuff that was either left to us when we moved in or that I have researched on the web, record offices etc including all
the owners....
the Ffoulkes, William Roberts, Robert Roberts, Arthur Newton Roberts, Charles Davidson (of Buckley brick fame), the Hurbutts, Francis Capel Cure (in prison with Winston Churchill), British Portland Cement Co. etc
and occupiers...
Joshua Jones, William Evans, son William Moses Evans, Helene Martha Harcourt Williams, William Henry Gilmour (first Professor of Dentistry), Gerald Lyon, Chris Bocking etc...... but any additional information no matter how small or trivial would be fantastic.
It has been a great challenge as the property has been described as being in both Denbighshire and Flintshire Counties (because of closeness to border) as well as Townships/Parishes of Caerwys, Ysceifiog, Nannerch, Trefechan and Trefraith, plus the property had been divided into two...where would the fun be if it was easy :)
I have seen the premises, a Woollen Mill on the 1849 Tithe and 1820 Bodfary (Bodfari) maps but would love to know when built and any photos up to the present?
Thank you
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Could you disclose the Post Code please?
Is it alongside the River and the track bed of the old railway?
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Hi, This is it's web site.
Lovely Antiques and other things.
www.afonwen.co.uk
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I thought that it used to be a railway station on the Mold to Denbigh line.
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That's the place I know as Old Pandy Mill.
Maggsie
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Thanks for replies....the post code is misleading as its CH7 5UP which is nearly a mile south east. I have attached a diagram I use for deliveries as they always used to get lost!!
The Afonwen Craft & Antique Centre used to be Afonwen Mill, which was a Paper, then Textile then Leather Mill with another mill across the road called the Wheeler Mill. It was a little confusing when for a time the Afonwen Mill and Old Pandy Mill both made flannels. Because of this I researched on all the Mills in the area, as the workforce sometimes moved around.
The old railway station is now used as a wood mill and their office is unchanged from the old station office.
It also has not helped with William Evans being a common local name at the time!
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The railway used to run adjacent to the river/stream for many miles.
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Yes I believe it was called the Mold & Denbigh Junction and used to run on the edge of our garden from 12 June 1869 to 30 April 1962 when it was closed to passengers but still carried some freight. The following year in 1963 the track was lifted along most of its length (except for a bit near Mold) and many of the sleepers ended up scattered across our land and have become very useful!!.
I have attached a link to a video shot just before it closed if anyone is interested titled "Mold to Ruthin and back by train" (Thanks to Alan Peters for uploading). It passes our Mill at 4:56 but nothing is seen due to the trees :(
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCaH11fsjCs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCaH11fsjCs)
Also below are 1939 pictures showing the working and living side of the mill (the water wheel is unfortunately hidden behind the house in the first picture and to the right of the factory part in the second)
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http://newspapers.library.wales/search?range%5Bmin%5D=1804&range%5Bmax%5D=1919&query=%22+evans+pandy+mill%22
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http://newspapers.library.wales/home
You can search for the other surnames.
Make sure you enter them like this " Davidson Pandy Mill " eg, without the " " you will get hits for all the words.
I`m sure you find something useful.
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Many thanks
Luckily I found this great resource quite early on and to date have 173 articles and 91 adverts spread across multiple newspapers, but I am regularly going back and searching other leads.
I find that it often produces too many returns and I have sometimes patiently checked 2000 or 3000 as I can't seem to narrow down to a whole name like William Evans instead it returns all the Williams and all the Evans......any tips?
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Many thanks
Luckily I found this great resource quite early on and to date have 173 articles and 91 adverts spread across multiple newspapers, but I am regularly going back and searching other leads.
I find that it often produces too many returns and I have sometimes patiently checked 2000 or 3000 as I can't seem to narrow down to a whole name like William Evans instead it returns all the Williams and all the Evans......any tips?
Search the whole name as - " William Evans" using the " around the search term " . Then you should get the exact phrase you searched for.
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Hi
My parents owned Old Pandy Mill up until approx 2002 from approx 1974. I'm afraid I don't know much of the history.
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Hi
My parents owned Old Pandy Mill up until approx 2002 from approx 1974. I'm afraid I don't know much of the history.
Wow, thank you for commenting....from what I have found so far is Gerald and Pamela Margaret Lyon purchased the house in 1976 and sadly died in 2000 and 2002 respectively, when the house was then sold to Chris Bocking.
Do you live locally? Are you doing your family history? I would love to know any think you know about the house - did you stay here or visit or have special memories?
I would love to see any photos you are prepared to share? Did you know any of the neighbours, what their names were? etc....
You are most welcome to call in if you want at any time,
Many thanks, Nigel
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Hello,I recently googled OPMill as my dad was telling me that his Grandparents and I think Great Grandparents lived there since 1860.My dad is 91 now and would be happy to chat to you.Regards,Jill
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Hello Jill,
Great to hear from you. Amazingly this morning I finished reading your father's Autobiography!!!
I have sent you a PM, as I have included contact details.
Kind regards,
Nigel
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Hi, would love to hear more about the period from 1860-1933. I understood that William Evans (and son William Moses Evans) possibly owned the mill but certainly worked there and built up a reputation for fine tweeds, woollens etc. My grandfather was named William Evans ( surname..)after them and worked at the Paper mill. Please be in touch if you see this. ( Also jill Wicks)
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Lovely to hear from you, both here and in the letter I received.
Please be prepared for an avalanche of information which I will start with in an email :)
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Thanks, looking forward to reading it!
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Thank you for posting the film of the trains from Mold to Denbigh and Ruthin. My gt grandfather worked in Mold station and I think he was in Denbigh station at one time. I have never seen anything of the trains that ran along there and this was wonderful.
I take it you have contacted the North East Wales Archives for information they may hold on this? I found one entry on a search:
https://www.newa.wales/collections/getrecord/GB208_D-M_B_6_151
It looks as though this may have been owned, or bought, by Mostyn Estates.
Jo
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Thanks Jo,
I'm not sure if or when they will be open, but I have added it to my wishlist at the NEWA website.
I have been able to narrow down the exact trains, and their numbers, that went the other side of the fence at Pandy Mill. Sadly one of the owner cousins died when hit by a train, metres from the Mill.
I am asking my wife nicely if she will buy me a model version for my Birthday!
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Good luck with that!
Out of interest do you know the age of Old Pandy Mill?
Have you searched The National Library of Wales website? They may hold some material relating to this.
Jo
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Thank you for posting the film of the trains from Mold to Denbigh and Ruthin. My gt grandfather worked in Mold station and I think he was in Denbigh station at one time. I have never seen anything of the trains that ran along there and this was wonderful.
I take it you have contacted the North East Wales Archives for information they may hold on this? I found one entry on a search:
https://www.newa.wales/collections/getrecord/GB208_D-M_B_6_151
It looks as though this may have been owned, or bought, by Mostyn Estates.
Jo
Thanks Jo, I have cross referenced my collection and I already have these advertisements in the Flintshire Observer 4, 11, 18 and 25-11-1909, the day before the auction. It was withdrawn at £440. I keep popping back as I always seem to miss an article.
Nigel.
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Good luck with that!
Out of interest do you know the age of Old Pandy Mill?
Have you searched The National Library of Wales website? They may hold some material relating to this.
Jo
This is the holy grail for me :). The earliest I have is hearsay 1745. On first Pandy Mill adverts I have found...
https://newspapers.library.wales/view/3816913/
... state William Evans & Son Established 1780 but Willian Evans moved here in 1860. The previous Mill worker was Joshua Jones who moved here in 1815. My wild guess is that William's father Evan Evans who worked IN a mill in Newtown, so William used poetic license to state his business was older than it actually was?
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Well I find the dates interesting. William Evans was born in 1822 I believe and moved to the Pandy in 1860 with wife Martha Jones and daughter Eleanor aged 6 weeks. They were married in the Zion Chapel in Newtown in 1856 and I believe he lived in Greenfield, Newtown where there was a fulling mill. Martha’s father was Moses Jones, weaver so he could be related to the other Jones. I’ll research further. I would say that the family was very religious and I would be a bit surprised at your suggestion, but all things are possible....
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To add to this...
On the census details from 1861 to 1901, two (1861 & 1881) have William Evans born in Llanfyllin Montgomeryshire and three in Llanuwchllyn Merionethshire 18 miles away, where he was born. The discrepancy I think is at the age of 5 the family moved to Llanfyllin.
William was apprenticed age eight from 1831-39 in Newtown, where his parents, Evan and Ann Evans, enjoyed their golden years. I think William might have still worked locally and lived with his parents, but I can find no trace in 1841 census.
In 1848 William moved to the Crescent Mill, Greenfield, Holywell to work for Messrs John and James Hall. He quickly became a manager. Again I can find no trace in the 1851 census. One of my new theories is that the the newspaper obituary was incorrect, and the date was not 1848, but was actually 1858, two years after he married in Newtown ... I will investigate!!
Attached is a photo showing the Crescent Mill in the bottom left corner. Sadly whilst most of the many Greenfield Mills are partially intact, this one has completely gone.