Hotel History

Converted from a 200 year old windmill, TYF Eco Hotel features the Grade II listed windmill tower. You can still see the old mill stones lying at the front of the building.

Originally know as Felin Wynt, the Welsh for windmill, the tower and some of the surrounding buildings were first built in 1806 by George Llewellyn of Foxhole, Ty Gwyn (on the shores of Whitesands Bay). He was helped by his two sons, John and Henry, who were both carpenters.

George Llewellyn had a reputation - he was known to have been heavily involved in wrecking activities along the local coastline and it was said: ‘He got his money on the water and invested it in the wind.’

Wrecking was the practice of taking loot from shipwrecks that foundered close to shore. Ships were often deliberately lured to their doom by the faking of signals from lighthouses. Wreckers would then set about plundering their cargoes.

After the mill was severely damaged during an incredibly violent storm, John and Henry are said to have died from the disappointment. The mill was then bought by George Williams of ‘the Old Shop,’ a respected merchant. But the weather soon took its toll again when the ‘roof, wings and all’ were blown into a nearby field.

George Williams was discouraged by this fresh disaster, but public pressure persuaded him to undertake the necessary repairs and the mill was re-built. The mill later passed into the hands of his son-in-law, Mr Tommy Williams.

In 1861, David Evans of Ty Gwyn bought and renovated the structure and the mill continued to grind corn from 1862 right through to 1904, when the wings were dismantled. Thinking it a pity to demolish such a landmark, Mr Evans raised the height of the tower in 1907 and proceeded to convert the tower and surrounding buildings into a new hotel called Twr-y-Felin, the Welsh for mill tower.

The hotel was purchased by TYF in 1986.