Drawing of quernstones
A drawing of the components of a water mill.
The water mill at Keldur farm.
In the latter half of the 18th century, people began building mills in Iceland as a result of the import of unprocessed grain which was cheaper than flour. By the mid-19th century, water mills were present in every county and parish for farmers to utilize together. Milling stopped when the price of flour dropped in the early 20th century.
The mill ruin during excavation
The mill was most likely in use between 1800 and 1875. The ruins were covered in a tephra layer from the 1875 Askja eruption, indicating the mill was abandoned before the tephra fell. After the turn of the 19th century mills become commonplace so the exact start date of the mill is an educated guess.
One find associated with the mill is a glazed red-ware pot. It was no doubt used to transport grain to the mill and the flour back to the farm. Its pieces were scattered over the mill’s floor.
The mill is built into a slope next to a stream, and is made of turf and stone. A hatch diverted the stream into the mill onto a wheel which turned an axis thus powering the grindstones. The room inside is small, around 1x1 meter, just enough for one person to watch over the grinding process.
The mill is the first to be excavated in Iceland. The findings from the excavation align well with written sources about Icelandic watermills.