Inside Little Mill Abergavenny

Holiday rental owner Hayley Caradoc-Hodgkins on its history and interiors 

Little Mill was built in around the 1680s. It has many stories to tell, but perhaps one of the darker ones is that, at one point, it was owned by and produced flour for the local Victorian asylum.

We have a fantastic antique book store in Abergavenny called Broadleaf Books. I often pick up local interest books there. I am particularly fond of a book I found about Welsh folk tales.

My favourite object at Little Mill is a door. I was offered it by a carpenter who had seen it being thrown out of another older property, and it’s just the most beautiful thing. I love that it is over 400 years old and still functions perfectly. 

I am a big fan of what I call ‘historical sludge’ or drab paint colours. I try to be sympathetic to the age of the property without it feeling like a museum or relic. I definitely brought in more colour pops than might be historically accurate. 

Other than the soft furnishings, I avoid buying modern or repro. I want the building to be the talking point, rather than anything I have in it.

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