Carew Tidal Mill

Pembrokeshire exported corn to other parts of Wales and England in the 17th century. Carew Tidal Mill was at first used during the Napoleonic Wars to grind corn. In the late 19th century the traditional Pembrokeshire mills faced competition from steam-powered roller mills built in the port towns to mill low-cost corn shipped from abroad. At the same time the introduction of the railway to Pembrokeshire created demand for dairy farming. The Carew mill began to grind bones for fertilizer and to grind animal feed. It was called "dilapidated" in the 1870s and was no longer used after 1937. After 1937 tie bars were installed on the south of the building to hold it together, but despite these the…

The present Carew Tidal Mill has two water wheels, one with the date of 1801, so was probably built around that time. The floodgates in the causeway dam were opened as the tide rose and filled the mill pond, then closed to contain the water in the pool when the tide began to ebb. When there was enough difference between the water levels the miller opened the sluice gates so the water would run from the pond through sluices under the mill, driving the water wheels. There are two 4.8 m undershot water wheels with wooden bucket paddles. One water wheel is 1.65 m wide and the other is 2.1 m wide. Both have 225 mm square shafts. The mill is a three-storey stone building with an attic and a slate…