Former beetling mill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The mill is aligned N-S close to the W bank of the Agivey River, from which it was originally powered. It comprises a two-storey mill and single-storey annex at its N end.

Main building
This two-storey, single-bay building has a pitched natural slate roof, replaced with cement-fibre slates to middle and corrugated metal at S. No rainwater goods. Walls are of squared rubble basalt brought to courses, but the FF is largely of brick due to the large number of openings, and also has a projecting brick eaves course. The lower half of the GF wall is cement rendered. All openings have flat brick heads and jambs, and stone cills.
The principal elevation faces E and has a single-storey stone and brick entrance porch to middle (with replacement pitched natural slate roof and plain bargeboards).
The elevation to the right (N) of the porch has seven 4x5-paned window opes to GF, all now sheeted over. There are six wider openings to FF, all with paired timber louvers and some also with pairs of 4x4-paned windows above the louvers. The elevation to the left (S) of the porch also has seven windows to GF, again mostly sheeted over. Three of the upper floor window opes have been infilled with brick but are otherwise detailed as right of the porch.
The S gable has a blank segmental-headed recessed panel extending up to FF level. There is a doorway at bottom right which led into the saw mill, all traces of which are now gone except for the ghost of its roof. Whether the latter was the pitched roofline which is visible, or the curved one below it is uncertain.
The W (rear) elevation is abutted to centre by the raised random rubble headrace intake entering at FF level. Just where the headrace intake enters the mill is a small but very deep pit which was apparently where a turbine was once located. This elevation is heavily overgrown, but the GF and FF windows appear to be similar to the E elevation; there is also a loading door with cantilevered balcony at FF level. Also at the back is what appears to be a mounting block, possibly for an auxiliary engine or other item of machinery.
The N gable is abutted by the single-storey annex. The exposed section above has two small FF windows, and two attic windows above them; all are now sheeted over.

Annex
This is contemporary with the main section and is a single-storey, single-bay building. It has a pitched replacement corrugated metal roof. Its walls are detailed as the main mill, with a brick eaves course, but no cement render.
The W elevation has four brick-trimmed window opes, one of which retains its 3x3-paned timber frame. The N gable has a doorway at left and brick-infilled opening at right. The E elevation has three window openings, but a pair of 3x3-pane timber frames survive only to the middle ope.

Setting
A field access track runs along the E side of the building, beyond which is the river. At S is an open yard, along the W side of which is the shell of the earlier 19th century mill, now reduced from two to one storeys and demolished at its S end. It is of random rubble basalt, with round-headed brick-trimmed openings. At SE are vestiges of a mid-19th century mill-related building. At W is the headrace and at W and N is the lane up to the owner’s house.

Roof: Pitched natural slate, corrugated cement-fibre and metal.
Rainwater goods: Missing.
Walls: Rubble basalt.
Windows: Louvred; also 3x3, 4x3 and 4x5 timber.

Historical information

A bleach mill and associated bleach green are shown on the 1832 OS map and also cited in the first valuation book as belonging to Alexander Bartley. However, the building under review does not appear until 1853 map, and therefore dates to the 1830s or ‘40s.
It is described in the 1858 valuation as measuring 126ft x 28ft x 28ft, along with a 37ft x 28ft x 8ft annex and belonging to Alexander and George Bartley & Co. The earlier mill is also noted, along with two engine houses (whether beetling engine or steam engine, or both, is uncertain), a boiler house and chimney. The machinery included 16 beetling engines, 18 pairs of wash feet, a starching mangle, 15 pairs of rubbing bears, and a callender. There were two all-metal waterwheels and a steam engine, all of which worked throughout the year. The rateable valuation of £110 for the “bleach mills and offices” indicates that this was a major industrial enterprise at that time.
A McAdam turbine operating on a 21ft head is known to have been installed c.1850, but its precise location is uncertain and it is not specifically cited in the valuation. A second turbine was also installed, but whether at the same time or later on is uncertain; it is recorded as being extant in 1912.
Thomas Barklie took over operations sometime between 1865 and 1880 (this appears to be a corrected version of the previous Bartley). Besides the beetling and bleach mills, a new drying house is also noted during this period, and the site’s valuation increases to £270.
Around 1885, the premises were taken over by B. Whitworth Brothers, but they are described in the valuation as being at rest. Benjamin Whitworth is recorded as the sole operator from 1889 onwards.
James McCoskey is given as the owner in 1891, the premises having been auctioned off and now being recorded simply as a store.
Robert Hanna & Son purchased the premises for £1000 around 1901 and appears to have recommenced beetling, as it is once again recorded for this purpose in the valuations. Only the building under review appears to have been functioning, albeit “very old and patched up” but nevertheless containing 16 beetling engines. Twenty-two houses were also erected on the premises by Mr Hanna.
The 1904 OS map shows many of the mid-19th century buildings to be little more than shells. The building under review is fully roofed however and is captioned as “Mullaghmore Saw Mills and Dye Works”. The extension at its S end was probably the saw mill. Two parallel terraces of houses are also depicted at the S end of the site.
J.G. Crawford took over the site c.1920. There is little or no change in the site plan on the 1923 OS map, although it is now captioned “Mullaghmore Saw Mills & Beetling Works”.
William Clark & Sons Ltd of Upperlands took over c.1931 and appear to have continued beetling, probably through the war years as well. However, all operations had stopped by 1956 when the premises are described as a vacant store belonging to Messrs Clark. They sold the site in 1961 and it was eventually purchased by the present owner who now uses the building for agricultural purposes.
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References – Primary Sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/5/19/1. First edition OS six-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 19 (1831-32).
2. PRONI VAL/1/B/51. First Valuation book (1830s), p.33.
3. PRONI OS/6/5/19/2. Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 19 (1849-54).
4. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/1A. Second Valuation book (1858), p.60.
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/2A. Valuation revision book, 1862-64, p.27.
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/2B. Valuation revision book, 1865-80, p.27.
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/2C. Valuation revision book, 1881-91, p.40.
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/2D. Valuation revision book, 1891-99, p.39.
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/2E. Valuation revision book, 1900-10, p.64.
10. PRONI VAL/12/A/5/2. Valuation notebook, 1901, p.85.
11. PRONI OS/10/5/19/1/1. First edition OS 25-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 19-01 (1904).
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/2F. Valuation revision book, 1911-29, p.80.
13. PRONI OS/10/5/19/1/2. First edition OS 25-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 19-01 (1923).
14. PRONI VAL/12/F/6/2/1. Valuation revision book, 1930-35.
15. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/1. Valuation revision book, 1935.
16. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/4. Valuation revision book, 1956-72.
17. PRONI OS/11/31/11/1. First edition OS 25-inch map IG sheet 31-11.

References – Secondary Sources:
1. H.D. Gribbon, The History of Water Power in Ulster, pp 251 and 253 (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1969).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A substantial one- and two-storey mid-19th century linen beetling mill. Although long disused and without its machinery, this building is still recognisable as a beetling mill on account of its large number of louvred first floor openings which provided an air current for the beetled linen hung to dry inside. It is of local interest in having been the most significant industry in this locality in the later 1800s and early 1900s, but is not of sufficient interest to warrant listing.