Prior to 1801 the government held the monopoly on milling. But with the removal of government control, many small mills began to spring up. In 1820 Johannes Brand saw the economic potential of having a mill here for himself and local farmers, as the nearest mill at the time was over the mountain towards Cape Town.
The mill is situated on what was Welcome Cottage Farm and is thought to have operated from 1820 to sometime in the 1850s. It was a popular gathering place for farmers in the area and this may be how the farms name originated, but by the 1860's the mill had fallen into disrepair because farmers had switched to growing vegetable and raising cattle.
This was an overshot mill with a 4m diameter water wheel. From the middle of the 18th century the overshot mill was acknowledged as the most efficient source of power. Water was collected in a small mill pond upstream and channeled down the millrace to the wooden launder over the centre of the wheel. The launder probably had some sort of hatch to regulate the water flow. All that remains of the mill pond are a few dressed stones, boulders and a short dam wall, but it is all silted up. The course of the millrace is still visible in parts but much of it has collapsed and it is not known if this was lined with wood or just plastered.
The walls of the mill were constructed from boulders, dresses stone and clay & cobble filling. It was finished with a fine lime/shell plaster inside and out. The floors where clinker, a hand-fired brick used in flooring tiles and ovens of the time. The wheel was almost certainly constructed from wood as cast and wrought iron wheels did not come into general use until the 19th century.
From the height of the remaining walls, the mill appears to have been a two-story building consisting of the main room, which housed the milling machinery with an upper level, and an annex which is thought to have been added later. The purpose of the annex is unsure, but it may have been used as the millers quarters. There is also mention, in historical records, of a bakery near the mill, but all physical evidence of that building has disappeared.
To reach the cache, you can park at S34° 09.140 E018° 24.430 and from here it is a short walk to the ruins. You can also walk down from the start/end point of the Glen View cache.
Please note, the gates to the parking area are only open between 07h00 and 16h00 daily.
Alternate Route:
On some occasions when the gates are closed or you arrive a bit late and don't want to risk getting locked in, you can do the following:- Park at S34° 09.183 E018° 24.730 and head down the trail at S34° 09.178 E018° 24.721, marked by a large wooden frame. Follow this path along the fence line for about 150m at which point the fence comes to an end. From here you can head straight across the fields to the cache site.