Dromore Mills, 64 Baranailt Road, Limavady, Co Londonderry, BT49 9HN

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is the lower of the two portions into which the premises is divided for the purposes of this survey. It comprises two blocks of buildings: (1) Aligned E-W along the N side of the mill pond is a two-storey block comprising (from W to E) a store, kiln, corn mill, porch, seed house, and three out-buildings. (2) Along the W side of the pond is a second block containing the mill owner's house (HB02/03/034A) and several outbuildings. The Upper Mill complex is described under HB02/03/034B. The entire complex is bounded at E by the Bessbrook River and is surrounded by fields.

Corn mill
This two-storey/ single-bay building is aligned E-W at the E end of the kiln and is abutted at E by Outbuilding 1. As noted in the historical description, it was probably built in its present form in the 1840s.
It has a pitched natural slate roof, the ridge line of which is slightly lower than that of the kiln. The louvred vent (with weathervane) on its ridge is a modern replica of the one originally on the kiln and is ornamental rather than functional. The walls are of random rubble with brick quoins. All openings have flat brick heads and brick jambs.
The S elevation is partly cut into the earthen embankment retaining the N side of the pond. There are cast-metal diamond-lattice windows to GF and FF right. The FF is accessed by a plain timber door at left, up a high concrete step.
The W gable is formed by the brick party wall with the kiln.
The N elevation is abutted at right by a brick porch and at left with by masonry seed house. There are doorways inside to give access to these rooms from the mill. There is also a shuttered opening at FF left (now hidden by the seed house).
The E gable has a FF window, now infilled. Part of the wall was removed to accommodate the turbine which replaced the waterwheel around 1900. It is fed via a concrete-and-brick box culvert from the pond. The tailrace which returned the water to the river from the turbine pit is culverted.

Seed house
This 1½-storey/ single-bay building abuts the N side of the mill. Here the oat shells were collected having been blown in by a fan in NE corner the mill. As it was an integral part of the mill, it probably dates from the 1840s.
The building has a replacement monopitched roof (sloping to N), no rainwater goods, and rubble masonry walls, the quoins of which are partly of brick. Its W gable has a GF door and FF diamond-lattice window. The N elevation is heavily overgrown but neither it nor the E gable have any openings.

Porch
This small single-storey/ single-bay porch abuts the N side of the kiln and mill and gives access to the latter. It was probably added in the late 1800s.
The building has a replacement monopitched roof (sloping to N), no rainwater goods, and brick walls. It has no openings except for a sliding timber door on its N elevation. The small waterwheel lying loose outside it is a relatively modern construction of no heritage interest.

Store and Kiln
This store and kiln are contained within a two-storey/ two-bay building on the W side of the mill. Close observation shows brick quoins belonging to the kiln on the N and S elevations of the building. This indicates that the store is a later addition to the kiln's W gable, probably in the later 1800s. Although it is the kiln which is primarily of interest, the store is included in this description as it is now part of the same unit.
Both sections share a pitched corrugated metal roof without rainwater goods. Modern photovoltaic panels have been placed over its S pitch. There was originally a louvred vent over the kiln at the E end of the building, since removed. The walls are of random rubble with brick quoins. All openings have flat brick heads and brick jambs.
The S elevation is partly cut into the pond embankment. The kiln's SW brick quoin is clearly evident in the wall. There are also shuttered opes at GF left and FF right. There was originally an coal hole in front of the kiln which served the kiln's hearth. In more recent times, this void it has been roofed over with concrete to form a continuous ground surface above.
The W gable is abutted to its GF by a revetted earthen ramp which gives access to a sliding timber door at FF level. In the gable apex is a cast-metal diamond-lattice window.
The N elevation is abutted at left by the brick porch. The kiln's NW brick quoin is evident on the wall between it and the store. The store part has two doors and a small window. The FF is blank save for a small shuttered ope to the kiln at left.
The E gable is abutted by the mill. Unlike the other walls, it is of brick. The exposed section rising above the mill roof has no openings.

Waterworks
The water turbine in the E gable of the mill was fed from a large mill pond. The water is diverted into the pond from the Bessbrook River by means of a sloping masonry weir and short headrace (which is also supplied by the tailrace from the Upper Mill).

Below the weir, the river continues under a small arched masonry bridge carrying a farm track. It is eventually joined by the culverted tailrace from the turbine.

Miscellaneous buildings
There are three rubble masonry outbuildings at the E end of the mill, one of which may have been the steam-powered flax mill cited hereabouts in the 1860s and '70s. Outbuilding 1 is a double-height single-storey building with a modern monopitched corrugated metal roof (the original was pitched natural slate). At the W end of its ground floor is the box culvert which fed the turbine. Outbuilding 2 is a two-storey building with a felted timber bowstring truss roof (the original was corrugated iron). Its first floor is now missing. According to the current owner, it formerly contained a threshing machine driven by the turbine. The latter is now partly dismantled and has been relocated to the NW corner of Outbuilding 1. The owner has also put a second-hand breast-shot waterwheel on the building's S elevation to power a generator inside which supplies his nearby house with electricity. Outbuilding 3 is a single-storey roofless shell to which there was access.

SETTING:
The block running along the W side of the pond comprises a two-storey/ six-bay mill house with pitched natural slate roof (see HB02 03 034A). The N gable of the house is abutted by a slightly lower two-storey building with pitched corrugated asbestos roof, rubble stone walls, 2/2 sliding sash windows. Running E at the NE end of the block is a single-storey outbuilding (Outbuilding 4 on map) with replacement timber truss roof sheeted with corrugated iron and rubble masonry walls.

On the S gable of the house is a lower two-storey building, the FF of which has been rebuilt as a conservatory.
At the S end of the entire block is a single-storey farm outbuilding with pitched corrugated asbestos roof, rubble masonry walls.

Two sets of single-piece conglomerate millstones are now on display around the house. They were found by the owner whilst he was repairing the mill's tailrace.

MATERIALS (mill, kiln and store):
Roof: Natural slate and corrugated iron.
Rainwater goods: None.
Walls: Random rubble.
Doors: Replacement timber.
Windows: Iron diamond lattice and timber shutters.

Historical information

A small corn mill is captioned on the 1830 OS six-inch map. It had an associated grain-drying kiln as both are noted as belonging to a Mr Morrison in the 1831 Valuation book. The site's rateable valuation of only £2.12s.0d suggests a small scale enterprise.
The 1835 Ordnance Survey Memoir notes the corn mill as belonging to Robert Morrison. It was a single-geared (i.e. one-step) corn mill powered off the Bessbrook River. The water had a 6ft fall and drove a breast-shot wheel measuring 12ft diameter by 2ft wide. The cog wheel at the inner end of the waterwheel axle was 6ft in diameter and had cast-iron teeth affixed to its wooden rim. It drove a lantern wheel which, in turn, powered a single pair of millstones. Measuring 4ft 10in in diameter, they were capable of grinding 1½ barrels per hour. However, the mill was idle in summer due to insufficient water. Mr Morrison also owned a nearby flax mill (HB02/03/034C) on the same premises.
In 1838, Mr Morrison advertised his land, corn mill, kiln, dwelling house and his half-share of the adjacent flax mill. It was seemingly purchased by John Gilfillan as he is recorded in 1843 as having been imprisoned for "having illicit malt in his dwelling and on his mill premises". John Gilfillan was the first of five generations of that family to own the mill, and the first of three to operate it.
A corn mill and kiln are explicitly captioned on the 1848-52 OS map. The map also shows the seed house along the N side of the mill and also an enlarged pond. Overall, the block is much larger than the one shown on the 1830 map. Evidently Mr Gilfillan had rebuilt the mill he had just acquired.
The 1856 Second Valuation also notes their owner as John Gilfillan. Besides the corn mill and land, his holding included a house, offices, and flax mill, the total valuation of which was £4.15s.0d. The corn mill was powered by a 12ft diameter by 3ft wide undershot waterwheel. It had 36 bucket and turned at six revolutions per minute under a 6ft head of water. The millstones rotated at 96 rpm (a gear ratio of 16:1). The valuation officer reckoned the mill could work for 9 months/year at an average of 4 hours/day. Although there were now two sets of stones, only one could be operated at a time due to a lack of water.
The fact that the mill now had two pairs of millstones indicates that it had been changed from a relatively primitive one-step configuration to more sophisticated two-step gearing, i.e. from a pit wheel and lantern to a pitwheel - wallower - great spurwheel - double stone nut/spindle layout. When water allowed, this change would have enabled both shelling and grinding to be undertaken simultaneously. Previously the grinding would have followed the shelling. This technical upgrade was undoubtedly the work Mr Gilfillan in the 1840s after he acquired the property and rebuilt the mill.
Intriguingly, the 1874 Valuation revision cites a new steam-powered flax mill with six scutching stocks somewhere in the vicinity of the corn mill. The Flax Mill Returns actually noted its existence since 1867 but it disappears from the records after 1876. Where exactly it was is not known but it was probably in one of the outbuildings abutting the E side of the mill.
John Gilfillan died in 1881 and the mill passed to his son James whose name appears in the valuation revision books from 1882 onwards. Shortly afterwards, James emmigrated to Australia and the mill was taken over by his brother John Moore Gilfillan (henceforth John 2). His name appears in the valuations from 1883.
In 1900, John 2 replaced the corn mill's waterwheel with a turbine made by Kennedy & Son of Coleraine; he also installed a similar turbine in the Upper Mill complex. The field evidence also suggests that he installed the present two sets of millstones and associated shafts and gears at the same time. He may well have installed a threshing machine, also powered off the turbine.
Despite this upgrade, Mr Gilfillan described himself in the 1901 Census as a farmer (aged 46), not a miller. In other words, he was still grinding corn for his own use and probably also for his neighbours rather than operating as a full-time merchant miller.
The corn mill is explicitly captioned on the 1905 OS map. The store at the W end of the kiln and three outbuildings to the E side of the mill are all shown.
By the time of the 1911 Census, the mill had passed to John 2's third son, 28-year old John Gilfillan Junior (John 3, the present owner's grandfather).
The mill is cited as a corn mill on the 1923-24 OS map and shows no changes to the block's footprint since 1905.
The Valuation revision notebook for January 1934 describes the corn mill as a slated two-storey random rubble building measuring 24ft square by 18ft high. Adjoining it to W was a two-storey kiln measuring 18ft x 24ft x 20ft. It was abutted along its N side by a 21ft x 14ft x 14ft high rubble masonry lean-to with a corrugated metal roof (the seed house) and a 16ft x 7ft x 9ft brick lean-to, also with a corrugated metal roof (the porch).
The 1934 Valuation records the mill as operating for four months per year and its output was low. Although described as a "very old" structure, it contained a "modern" metal crusher driven by a 12 horse-power turbine; this is the Bamford mill on the GF. According to the current owner, it was installed by his grandfather, John 3. Although the turbine is noted as being 50 years old, it is undoubtedly the one installed c.1900 by John 2. This entry implies that the millstones had been abandoned in favour of the grain crusher. It would have produced both kibbled and rolled oats for animal feed rather than oatmeal for human consumption. Fieldwork shows it to have been driven by the same turbine as had previously powered the stones.
No changes to the site's ownership or rateable value are recorded in the valuation revision books from 1936 to 1954. According to the current owner, John 3 operated the into the 1960s, only stopping due to lack of demand as rural electrification now enabled farmers to install their own grinding machinery. The block is shown uncaptioned on the 1975 OS map.
In more recent years, the present owner has re-decked the kiln head with timber sheeting (c.2000), added photo-voltaic panels to the roof of the store/kiln (c.2014), and reroofed the porch and seed house abutting the mill (c.2015). Outbuilding 2 which housed the thresher was reroofed c.2010. A second-hand waterwheel was also installed to drive a generator supplying electricity to the owner's house.
In summary, the available evidence suggests the following sequence of development:
1. Early 1800s: Small corn mill and kiln. One pair of millstones powered by a waterwheel.
2. Mid 1800s: John Gilfillan enlarges the mill and pond, adds the seed house and replaces the single set of stones with two new pairs, all driven by a waterwheel.
3. Later 1800s: Outbuildings added at E end of corn mill, one of which may have been a steam-powered flax mill. The brick porch probably also added during this period.
4. About 1900: John Gilfillan 2 replaces the waterwheel with a turbine and also the two sets of stones with the present ones. He probably also installed a threshing machine, also driven off the turbine.
5.Earlier 1900s: John Gilfillan 3 abandons the millstones in favour of a Bamford animal-feed unit driven by the turbine.

References - Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/5/16/1. First edition OS 1:10,560 map, Co Londonderry sheet 16 (1830).
2. PRONI VAL/1/B/521A, p.38; /521B, p.7; and /521C, p.2. First Valuation book: Tamlaght Finlagan Parish, Dromore Townland, plot 4 (1831).
3. 1835 Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland vol.25: Parishes of Co Londonderry VIII, pp 83 and 121, eds A Day & P McWilliams (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1994).
4. Derry Journal, 31 Aug 1838, p.1.
5. Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons, 1843, vol.50. Excise Laws Offences (Ireland): Return of the number of offences against the excise laws in the years 1841, 1842 and 1843, pp 6-7 (year ending 5 July 1843).
6. PRONI OS/6/5/16/2. Second edition OS 1:10,560 map, Co Londonderry sheet 16 (1848-52).
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/24A. Second Valuation book (1856).
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/31/24A. Valuation revision books, 1860-63, p.48 (plot 2A).
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/31/24B. Valuation revision books, 1864-82, p.51 (plot 2A).
10. Proceedings of the House of Commons: Agricultural Returns for Ireland. Scutch Mill Returns for 1867, 1869, and 1872.
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/31/24C. Valuation revision books, 1883-98, p.66 (plot 2A).
12. PRONI Will Calendars: 1885 (James Gilfillan) and 1915 (John 2),
13. PRONI VAL/12/B/31/24D. Valuation revision books, 1898-1915, p.76 (plot 2A).
14. 1901 Census of Ireland.
15. PRONI OS/10/5/16/3/1. First edition OS 1:2500 map, Co Londonderry sheet 16-03 (1905).
16. 1911 Census of Ireland.
17. PRONI VAL/12/B/31/24E. Valuation revision books, 1915-29, p.27 (plot 2A).
18. PRONI OS/10/5/16/3/2. Second edition OS 1:2500 map, Co Antrim sheet 16-03 (1923-24).
19. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/5/Y/3. Valuation revision notebook (1934).
20. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/6. Valuation of Rural District of Limavady, vol.2: The Highlands Electoral Division (1935).
21. PRONI VAL/3/E/5/3B. Valuation of Rural District of Limavady: The Highlands Electoral Division (1936-54).
22. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/6. Valuation of Rural District of Limavady, vol.2: The Highlands Electoral Division (1936-57)
23. PRONI OS/11/29/9/1. First edition OS IG 1:2500 map sheet 29-09 (1973).

References - Secondary sources:
1. H.D. Gribbon. The History of Water Power in Ulster, p.253 (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1969).
2. Information from owner, March 2020.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

B. Proportion
D. Plan Form
E. Spatial Organisation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

This is the lower portion of a large mill complex, located approximately 5km west of the town centre of Limavady, off a laneway on the south-east side of Baranailt Road. It consists of several buildings which are located on the N side of the Mill Pond; a two-storey block comprising a store, kiln, corn mill, porch, seed house, and three out-buildings. Historically, much of the mill's fabric dates from its rebuilding in the 1840s, with later additions evident in the walls. Vestiges of the previous mill may also be incorporated. Architecturally, its style is typical of the many 19th century water-powered corn mills which were once ubiquitous in the Ulster countryside. Its plan form is also of interest in terms of the relationship of the plant, gearing and machinery, arranged over two floors within the mill. The spatial juxtaposition of the kiln and seed house to the mill also complements its functioning.
While some alterations detract from the original historic character, such as the removal of the tiles from the kiln head, the removal of the ventilator from the roof of the kiln, and the insertion of a replica vent on the roof of the mill, any other alterations have generally been positive; these include the replacement of the waterwheel by the turbine c.1900, illustrating how water power was more efficiently harnessed, and the subsequent replacement of the two millstones by the Bamford mill, demonstrating the switch from oatmeal production (for human consumption) to provender milling (for animal feed).
This intact example is especially rare as it illustrates key developments in the harnessing of water power. The close juxtaposition of the mill complex to its weir, headrace and pond greatly enhance its setting and facilitates the understanding of its functioning under waterpower (the operating water wheel is not original to this mill). The mill has group value with the Upper Mill complex (HB02/03/034C - the cornmill and flaxmill), and the Mill House (HB02/03/034A). The complex is also of social interest in having been owned by the same family for five generations since the 1840s. When operational, it was also of economic importance in playing a valuable role in Ulster's 19th century agricultural economy at a time when grain cultivation was more prevalent than now.

General comments

Previous LQ Ref HB02/Lq028