Windmill

The National Monuments Service's description

According to the Civil Survey (1654-6) a mill at Cullenstown would probably have been owned by Thomas Cullin of Cullenstown castle (WX046-046001-), but a windmill is not specified (Simington 1953, 151, 163). A circular feature is marked on the 1839 ed. of the OS 6 inch map where it is described as a windmill. It is located at the crest of a hill c. 180m N of the seashore at the eroding entrance to Ballyteige Lough and on the S side of a NE-SW road. This is a cylindrical tower (ext. diam. 5.3m; int. diam. 3m) of three storeys surviving to a height of 5.3m, with evidence of at least four windows on the upper storeys. The E doorway (Wth 0.83m) is blocked, but the W (Wth 0.9m; H 2.03m) is open. Stairs, represented by single stones projecting from the inner face of the wall at S, rise from the W doorway to the second floor. There is a bottle-shaped recess in the inner face of the wall at N at ground level, which perhaps allowed flour sacks to expand into it as they were filled. The first floor was supported on a rebate on the inner face of the wall SW-N-E, allowing the stairs to emerge at SE and there are narrow slit-windows (Wth 0.15m; H 0.44m) at N and S. The second floor is supported by a rebate except at the E where the stairs emerges. The walls are not complete here but there is evidence of slit windows at S and W and there may have been similar windows at N and E.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wexford' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1996). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload/revision: 19 August, 2013

References

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1953 The Civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. IX: county of Wexford. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.