Water mill - vertical-wheeled

The National Monuments Service's description

Balnacart corn mill and mill race may have been built on the site of the watermill depicted in the townland of Rathshane on the 1657 Down Survey map of Fore barony (NLI, MS 723-4). On this map the watermill is shown standing at the meeting point of the townland boundaries of Foyran and Rathshane in the area where Balnacart Mill is depicted on the OS 6-inch maps. The present corn mill was described by the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage as following, 'Detached two-storey corn mill on L-shaped plan, built c.1810 and altered c.1900. Restored c.2000 and now in use as a private house. Joint lines along structure indicate that section to south is a later extension. Pitched artificial slate roof with raised rendered verges. Constructed of coursed rubble limestone. Square-headed openings having replacement timber casement windows and timber sheeted doors. Restored cast-iron waterwheel to west side, set into original cast-iron overshot watercourse. Remains of single-storey rubble limestone outbuilding to the southwest having pitched corrugated-iron roof over and square-headed openings. Ruins of a small corn kiln remain to the north and silted-up mill pond to the southeast. Original millrace ran from pond to the southeast, over wheel and through culvert under the road and away to the northwest. Located to the southeast of Finnea close to border with Co. Meath to the east' (www.buildingsofireland.ie).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 23 July 2015

References

NLI, MS 723-4 - National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey for the County of Westmeath, attested by W. Petty, in 1659. Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 67 maps with accompanying terriers in two volumes, 1786-7. Dublin.