Mill Leat

The body of water along the western edge of Cardiff Castle is known as the Mill Leat. A ‘leat’ is the name for a man-made stream that is created to direct water supply to a mill.

For several hundreds of years mills occupied the area south of Cardiff’s West Gate and over the years periodically fell into disrepair.

In the mid-19th century the Dock Feeder Canal was constructed and a dam was installed to divert the course of the water north of Cardiff Castle.

This cut off the leat from its source and transformed the feature into an ornamental pond and moat along the western wall of the castle.

During the Restoration Project two new dams were constructed and the Mill Leat was reflooded, self-containing and circulating the water with an upper pond and gravity-fed cascade.

The Mill Leat offers a varied habitat and is now a highlight for wildlife in the park while enhancing the beauty of the castle and surrounding parklands.