William Clark & Sons Ltd Mill Complex (Excluding Old Mill)

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large sprawling textile factory complex made up of an architecturally disparate accumulation of single to four storey structures, mainly dating from the late 19th and early 20th century, but with most greatly added to and altered in the mid to later 1900s. The factory occupies a site which has been associated production of cloth, (i.e. the weaving, dying and finishing of linen), since the 1730s, and contains a small, thatched, former beetling mill believed to date from 1742. The complex is set on the N side of Upperlands, a village brought into being by the presence of the mill itself, with the Knockoneill River to the west, large mill dams to the N (the ‘Green Dam’) and E (the ‘New Dam’), and the former bleach green (the ‘Hall Field’ or ‘Hall Green’) to the S.

The complex is approached from the S, off the main Maghera-Kilrea road, with a long winding tree-lined drive following the line of the river and taking one passed the ‘original’ beetling mill (to the SW- see below) and a former office block / lapping room (to the NE- see below), and the former bleach green. Close to its ending, the drive heads in a northwards direction passing two dwelling houses, (built for mill employees- see below), culminating is a small car park next to a large modern style single-storey, brick and corrugated metal clad factory / office building dating from 1980. To the N and the E of the office block lies the mass of buildings making up the heart of the factory.

Building ‘B’
Built as a weaving ‘shed’, building ‘B’ is the largest building in the complex in terms of footprint, and lies to the NW corner of the site, next to a now disused secondary gateway opening off a road to the W. It is a sprawling, mainly rendered, almost wholly single-storey structure largely dating from 1910-11, but with significant post 1950 additions to the N; to its SE corner it abuts a mainly four-storey block (building ‘E’- see below), whilst to the NE a short projection links to a large metal-clad shed. Its roof, (which could not be seen in its entirety), appears to be largely composed of north-lights, with a small curved roof section to the SW corner and a gabled portion to the E. To the front there are two very long ‘lean-to’ projections which together span almost all of this side of the building. Set between these lean-tos is a large flat-arched vehicle entrance with pedestrian entrances flanking this, (two of which are on the ends of each of the lean-tos). There are further doorways of various size to the left and right, as well as an unevenly-spaced series of large, (but not uniform), windows with multi-pane metal frames, with several much smaller windows, with timber sash frames, close to the main vehicle entrance.

The N and W elevations could not be seen. The long E elevation is finished in render to the S, with a small portion in rubble and brick to the N of this and concrete brick to the N again. A series of window openings stretches along this entire elevation; these windows were originally of uniform size, however a number of openings roughly to the centre of the elevation have been reduced in size. The larger windows are filled with metal frames similar to those to front, whilst the smaller ones have timber frames. The roof, outside of the north-lights, is partly covered in slate, partly in corrugated asbestos, and partly in corrugated iron.

Building ‘E’
This building consists of a large double pile four-storey block to the S with a large single-storey section to the N. The former block, (which, to the NW abuts building ‘B’), was constructed in 1912 as a three-storey structure, with the uppermost level believed to have been added in 1940, and a two-storey loading bay extension to the W of the mid to later 1900s. The earlier portion of the structure is constructed mainly in rubble with the later top level in brick, however the ground floor level of the S and E elevations and most of the W elevation, (which, of course, was altered to accommodate the loading bay), is now finished in render. The edges of the building’s concrete floors are also visible on the N, S and E elevations. In typical mill fashion, each floor sports a uniform row of window openings, almost all of which are now filled with multi-pane metal frames, are similar to those seen on building ‘B’, whilst to the W of centre of the ground floor a large flat-arched vehicle access cuts through the block. There are pedestrian doorways to the ground first and second floor levels of the S elevation, (the last two reached via a metal stair), with more to the E elevation. There is a vehicle entrance to the S elevation also, with two large loading bay doors to the W. The double-pile roof appears to be largely, (if not entirely), covered in slate.

The single-storey northern portion of building ‘E’ is largely rubble constructed, with a slated gabled roof which rises to a continuous monitor (i.e. a raised construction for ventilation straddling the ridge). To the W gable there is a lean-to extension in render and brick, to which another, smaller, breeze block lean-to has been added. The E gable is partly rendered. The openings to the N and W have been blocked with breeze blocks, with only a single flat-arched vehicle entrance to the N remaining (although this does not appear to be original). To the E gable there are two pedestrian doorways and two windows with metal frames. A collection of pipes and ducts extend from the E gable to the building further to the E (building ‘F’- see below).

Building ‘C’
To the N of building ‘E’ is a large block which consists of a single-storey portion to W and a (mainly) two-storey section to E. This building appears to stand on the site of the original pre 1831 bleach mill, and probably contains some of its fabric, however evidence suggests it was considerably altered in the early 1900s (and may even have been lowered in height). The single-storey portion to the W is constructed in rubble and brick with a part slated, part corrugated iron covered roof made up of a row of gables, (some of which have monitors). To the SW corner this portion has either been extended or rebuilt, for it is largely constructed in concrete brick with a large area clad in corrugated iron. The corner itself is bevelled and within the bevel is located the main pedestrian entrance. To the S elevation there is a series of segmental-headed window openings, with metal frames, to left, with a row of smaller, high level, flat arched windows (also with metal frames), to right. Set between the two sets of windows is a flat-arched vehicle entrance. Only the very right hand side of the N elevation could be seen, and here there is a flat arched vehicle doorway and a window with timber frame. The remainder of the N elevation is abutted by another building, (‘D’- see below), with the rest of the elevation to the left of this difficult to observe as it backs on to the embankment of the Green Dam.
Roughly in the middle of the "C" complex of buildings is the gable ended structure which internally is a single triple height space containing a number of generators and other machinery. (See" Iinterior C ")

The two-storey section to E appears to be largely early 20th century (sources suggest c.1900) and consists mainly of a series of gabled bays which are finished in render. The roof appears to be covered in corrugated asbestos. To the ground floor of the S elevation there are four pedestrian entrances of varying size, with an equally varied collection of windows, (three in all), with metal frames. A large amount of pipes and ducts stretch from this section to building ‘E’ to the S, and to the N there is a tall, octagonal brick-built chimney. To the E the building is abutted by another large two-storey structure (building ‘G’- see below).

Building ‘D’
This building abuts the N side of the W section of building ‘C’. It is a small rubble-built gabled structure of c.1890s with a similar but smaller projection -a former dwelling house- attached to its N side. The latter section, has, in turn, a small brick lean-to attached to the W, with a larger rendered lean-to to N. The larger section to the S has a large central vehicle entrance to its W elevation (obviously a recent insertion), with two windows to either side, all with timber sash frames (six panes over six), whilst the roof of this section is slated. The smaller house portion to N has several small windows, with the remains of timber sash frames, to both the W elevation and the N side of the brick lean-to, with the main entrance to the W side of the same lean-to. The roof of this section (including the W lean-to), is also slated, whilst the lean-to to N has a corrugated iron roof. There is a small dormer, (with single-pitch roof), to the main roof of the former house. The rear elevation of the whole of building ‘D’ could not be seen as it backs directly on to the embankment of the Green Dam.

Building ‘G’
Building ‘G’ is a long two-storey structure built in c.1898-1900 which abuts the E side of building ‘C’, (see above), but which is set at an angle to the latter. To its east end there small section set on the squint, which may constitute a slightly later addition; this end section abuts another building (‘H’- see below) to the E again.

The whole structure is rubble-built, with brick dressings to many of the openings, whilst the part hipped, part gabled roof is slated. The S elevation is made up of a row of windows to each floor, some with segmental heads. These are now mainly filled with metal frames, but some are devoid of frames entirely. The windows to the portion set on the squint to the E end are considerably larger than the rest. To the ground floor there are several flat-arched vehicle entrances, all of which appear to have been enlarged. A large tank / hopper apparatus is set in front of the a large section of the S elevation. The N elevation backs on to the embankment of the Green Dam and could not be seen.

Building ‘F’
This building is set to the S of buildings ‘C’ and ‘G’ and E of building ‘E’. Like most of the rest of this complex, it is not so much a single unified structure, but a grouping disparate extensions which have been added, (over the space of roughly two decades), to a formerly freestanding and, originally, probably relatively uniform block. The block in question in this instance is a large three-storey rubble ‘brown room’ building of 1898 with a part hipped, part gabled slated roof, with the additions consisting of a large mainly two-storey rendered section of c.1900 to E with a double-hipped roof, a large ‘two-storey’ mainly brick lean-to to W of perhaps c.1923, and a single-storey gabled brick section of 1920.

The N elevation of the main original block is still wholly exposed and has a uniform row of 8 no. windows to each floor. The larger windows to the ground floor are now mainly filled with metal frames, with timber sash frames -6/6 and 6/3- to the smaller windows of the upper floors. Beneath 6 No. of the ground floor windows at the mid point of the window are large cruciform steel pattress plates. There is a pedestrian and a vehicle entrance to the ground floor. The S elevation is only exposed at first and second floor level, with both floors sporting a row of windows similar to those on the equivalent floors to the N side. There is a pedestrian doorway to the right on the first floor, reached via a metal stair. The block has two chimneystacks.

The large rendered addition to the W is mainly two-storey with a single-storey section to N. To the long W elevation there is a uniform row of windows to both floors, each with a timber casement frame. There are some similar windows to the shorter S elevation, with a large, centrally positioned vehicle doorway to the ground floor. To the (mainly) single-storey N elevation there is a uniform row of windows with multi-pane timber frames. The NW corner of the addition is bevelled. The short W elevation is almost entirely covered by a large rendered lean-to, with a further (smaller) brick lean-to attached to the E side of this. Both lean-tos have corrugated asbestos roofs. The hipped roof of the main section of the addition is slated.

The large lean-to addition to E is two-storey in height, but only appears to contain a single level. It is built in brick to the S and E sides and in (largely) in rubble to the N. The SE corner is bevelled, a bevel which accounts for much of the S elevation. There is a pedestrian doorway to the left hand side of the S elevation, with a vehicle doorway to the E. On the bevel there is a large window with timber sash frame (8/8), with two similar windows to E and a much smaller window to N. The roof of this section is slated.

The large single-storey addition to S is largely brick built, with a slated gabled roof topped with a monitor. To the SE corner there is a large bevel which rises to a tall parapet, whilst to the E there is a small brick built lean-to. To the S elevation there is a row of uniform segmental-arched windows with metal frames, as well as a large pedestrian doorway. There are two further windows to the bevel, with another larger window to the E. The small lean-to has a pedestrian doorway to E and a smaller louvered opening to S.

Building ‘H’
This largely single-storey building lies to the E side of the complex. Like the others described above it is composed of structures of varying date and design. At its core is a large curved roof block of c.1923, with an open loading bay like section to W, large additions to E (which could not be seen in their entirety) of c.1930s+, and a small one and a half-storey house-like section, (presumably originally a dwelling house), to the SW of c.1890s.

The main block is largely constructed in concrete brick with a felted roof with monitors. To the W elevation there is a row of large windows with metal frames. There are two large loading bay doors to this side also. The large open loading bay section spans much of this elevation, it has a corrugated-iron pitched roof supported on cast-iron columns. The S elevation of the main block has several large windows with metal frames and a large pedestrian doorway. Part of the façade is clad in corrugated asbestos.

The (now disused) house section to the SE has walls of rubble with brick quoins and dressings, and a slated overhanging gabled roof. To the S there is a small gabled porch with entrance to the W side, and a window opening to the S. To the upper floor there is a window and a doorway -which was once a window- reached via a metal stair. To the W elevation of the main section of the house there are two flat-arched windows to the ground floor and two segmental headed ones to the upper level, (set within gabled half-dormers). To the N elevation there is a doorway and a small window to the ground floor, with two larger windows to the upper floor. Most of the windows have timber sash frames, (6/6 with broad central panes). The rear (E) elevation is abutted by a corrugated iron structure which leans-to the main curved roof block. The chimneystacks have been removed.

Building ‘I’
Building ‘I’ lies to the SE of building ‘F’ and W of building ‘H’, and is set at an angle to the former. It consists of three single-storey curved roof structures of varying size dating from 1920-c.1926, and a flat roofed one of perhaps c.1930s. Two of the curved roof structures, along with the flat-roofed one, are set side by side on a roughly NW-SE axis, with the other curved roof structure set across the NW end of these on an NE-SW axis. The facades of these component parts are finished in a mixture of render and corrugated-iron cladding, with the roofs either covered in corrugated-iron or felt. There are large vehicle entrances to the SE and NW sides.

The flat-roofed portion is to the SW. It is a somewhat more formally designed block with a uniform row of windows and several pedestrian doorways to its SW elevation, as well as a vaguely Art Deco parapet.

Houses- ‘J’, ‘K’, and ‘L’
Scattered throughout the complex are four houses either currently occupied or occupied until fairly recent years. Two of the houses are freestanding, with the others semi-detached.

The two-storey block (‘J’) containing the semi-detached houses is situated to the S of building ‘E’, N of the large coating plant / office building of 1980, and has a plain utilitarian appearance. It dates from c.1890. The walls are finished in roughcast whilst the gabled roof is slated and has four brick chimneystacks, with decorative bargeboards to the E-facing gable end. The house to the E side has had a large single-storey flat-roofed extension added to the S side, and it is now entered from this extension. The entrance to the house to W is on the S elevation. The windows are flat-arched with most filled with 2/2 timber sash frames, however some have been enlarged and are filled with either timber or metal casement frames.

House ‘K’ dates from 1920, lies to the E of the 1980 coating plant / office block, and is surrounded by a small enclosed garden. It is two-storey and also has a plain appearance, with roughcast finished walls and a slated gabled roof with two rendered chimneystacks. The front (S) elevation is symmetrical with the central doorway and four windows to the ground floor, with five more to the first floor. To the rear (N) elevation there is an off centre doorway along with three windows to the ground floor, with three similar windows to the upper floor. The windows are all flat-arched and filled with timber sash frames (1/1)

House ‘L’ was built c.1889 and lies on the S side of the complex, on the E side of the main drive. It is one and a half storey and has a slightly more picturesque appearance compared to the other three houses, however, a large single-storey flat-roofed extension has been added to the front (W). The walls are finished in rough cast, the overhanging gabled roof slated, and the two chimneystacks rendered. The entrance is now to the S side of the extension. The windows are a mixture of flat and segmental-arched, with those to the first floor (to both front and rear elevations) set within gabled half-dormers.

Building ‘M’
Building ‘M’ lies a distance to the S of the main complex, on the S side of the former bleach green off the E side of the main drive. It consists of a single-storey Art Deco style office block of 1929 to the W, with a large mainly three storey former lapping room / office building to the E, built 1908, but possibly containing the fabric of an earlier 19th century structure(s).

The single-storey office block has a rendered façade and an asbestos covered gabled roof with large roof lights. The long front (W) elevation is symmetrical and is topped with a shaped parapet which contains a moulded panel with the company legend, with a clock face above. The central doorway is flanked by rows of large (probably) flat-arched windows, with each opening separated by a pilaster with a decorative moulding on each. The windows are currently boarded up. The N and S elevations of the block are plainer in appearance; their windows are also boarded up. There are square cast iron downspouts with square hoppers, two of which (flanking the entrance) bear the date of construction- ‘1929’.

The large lapping room section to the rear of the office block appears to be largely (if not wholly) finished in render with a part gabled, part flat roof. The N elevation is topped with a small central gable, but otherwise it is now featureless as all the openings, (of which there appear to have been many), have been blocked up with only their sills and outlines remaining. The other elevations are largely obscured from view. To the N of the store, sections of the rails belonging to a short, now disused railway track are still in place.

Building ‘A’
Building ‘A’ is a small, split-level, former beetling mill, with a thatched roof, situated on a slope to the W of the main drive, opposite building ‘M’. It is purported to date from 1742, and as such qualifies as the oldest structure on the entire site. The building is described in the separate record HB08/02/001A.

Building ‘N’
Just a few yards further down the slope from building ‘A’, building ‘N’ is a two-storey gabled structure whose southern half dates from c.1910, with the northern section added c.1960s-70s. The older portion has walls of rubble with brick quoins and dressings, and a slated double pile roof. To the S elevation there is a tall single-storey lean-to extension in roughcast and corrugated-iron cladding. There are uniform rows of window openings to each elevation, with most boarded up apart from those to the first floor to the E elevation, which are louvered. There is a pedestrian doorway to both the E and S elevations, with another to the W side of the lean-to. The c.1960s-70s section to the N has a flat roof and walls constructed in concrete brick; its openings are boarded up also.

To the N of the complex is the ‘Green Dam’, a large mill pond. The slightly larger ‘New Dam’ (created 1897) lies to the E. Both dams are no longer used, however both are still maintained. To the immediate SW of the New Dam is the former bleach green (or ‘Hall Field’) a large meadow, with house ‘L’ at the NW corner and building ‘M’ lying to the S.

Historical information

According to Wallace Clark in his 1982 history of Upperlands, (‘Linen on the Green’, Universities Press, Belfast, 1982), the origins of the firm of William Clark & Sons can be traced to the late 1730s, when a bleacher from Maghera, Jackson Clark, acquired a lease of land in the townland of Tirgarvil and shortly afterwards built a beetling mill. This building, later known as the ‘Middle House’, is believed to be the small thatched structure still standing today on the southwest side of the drive to the main part of the present factory (building ‘A’). To the north of the mill, a large field (the ‘Hall Field’) was employed as a bleach green, and just to the south of this, (on the site of building ‘M’), Jackson’s eldest son, Alex, built a new family home shortly after his father’s death in 1756. The name ‘Upperlands’ is said to have been coined by Jackson Clark as a reference to the slightly higher position of his meadows in relation to the mill, his ‘upperlands’ as it were.

Apart from the Middle House and the Clark family home, the extent of other buildings (if any) added to the site in the later 18th century is not certain. There is some evidence concerning the development of Upperlands in the opening decades of the 19th century, notably a letter written by Alex Clark, (grandson of the aforementioned Alex), to his landlords, the Mercers’ Company, in 1821, in which he mentioned expending £2,000 on the concern. Further details emerge from a report sent to the Mercers’ a few months later, which notes that ‘Mr Clark is erecting very substantial premises, 76’ x 24’. The house will be 23’ in height, the ground floor will be fitted up with washers, boilers and other machinery, applicable to his business, and the upper storey will contain some very roomy store lofts. It is his intention, next spring, to repair an old mill, and add machinery at the expense of about £500. This, when finished, will put two capital Beetling houses on the estate. Mr Clark has thought of building a commodious dwelling house, offices and stabling, and of converting his present one into a warehouse for his made-up linens’. The latter was not built, but according to Wallace Clark’s history, Alex proceeded with the rest of his plans, building a new beetling mill on the south side of the main road –subsequently known as the ‘Road Engines’- and either building anew or extending an existing bleach house close to the green itself.

The 1831 OS map provides the first accurate plan of the complex, with the contemporary valuation, and the near contemporary OS Memoirs filling in the details concerning the buildings. To the southeast, at the roadside, were the Road Engines, built, according to the Memoirs, in 1824 at a cost £1,000, and then consisting of two slated buildings measuring 63ft x 25 x 21 and 19 x 14 x 6¼ with a 19½ft water wheel. Opposite these was with the curving drive to the green. Some distance along the drive, on the southwest side close to the Knockoneill River, was the Middle House, the original beetling mill reputed by the Memoirs to be ‘the oldest in the county’. It was made up of two very old thatched structures of 55½ x 22 x 16½ and 17 x 13 x 5, with a wheel of 16ft 5in. Opposite the Middle House, off a lane to the northeast of the drive, was the Clark dwelling house, a long single storey building measuring 68 x 17½ x 7, with an L-shaped return of 16 x 19 x 7½ and 27 x 19 x 11½, and a collection of single and two-storey part slated, part thatched outbuildings to the rear. The valuers state that the house was of considerable age at that point, suggesting it was the same dwelling said to have been built by Alex Clark around 1756, however, confusingly, one of the OS Memoir writers of 1836 notes that ‘it was built about 23 years ago’! Beyond the green to the northwest of the house, were the buildings associated with bleaching, built by Alex a decade or so previously. The 1831 OS map shows two large structures, one of which appears to be on the site of building ‘C’, the other further east, with a very small building on the northwest edge of the green itself. The contemporary valuers, however, record four bleaching related buildings and one ‘office’, (all slated), with the former collection measuring 78½ x 28¼ x 18¼, 20 x 13 x 6, 28½ x 10½ x 13½ and 25 x 13 x 5 respectively, the ‘office’ 58½ x 17½ x 6½. The OS Memoirs, which were written five years after the valuation, however, mention only one bleach mill building and state that this structure, and all the rest of Upperlands structures, were two-storey.

As one entry in the Memoirs notes, the works at Upperlands were ‘not extensive’, even by 1830s standards, the whole collection, (outside of the dwelling house and its outbuildings), rated by the 1831 valuers at a modest £17-17-0. In building terms, this situation does not appear to have changed a great deal during the next couple of decades. Alex Clark is believed to have extended the larger of the Middle House buildings in 1839, and the Road Engines in 1854 and erected a lapping room (on the south side of the green), but the layout of the structures as shown on the revised OS map of 1856 is remarkably similar to its predecessor. The valuation of the same year, (unusually), supplies little information, but the higher rating for the buildings -£23 for the bleach mill structures, £8 for the Middle House and £18 for the Road Engines- indicates some expansion. The valuers also make reference to an additional dwelling house and gate lodge, in the hands of Alex’s son, William Clark, and four other dwellings for an overseer, two workmen and a caretaker. The former, rated by the valuers at £30, is a reference to ‘Ampertaine’, the substantial two-storey over basement residence built by William and situated to the south of the original family home, which, incidentally, continued to be occupied by Alex up until his death in 1871. Ampertaine was presumably only completed later in 1856 (the valuation was carried out in November), as it is not indicated on the OS map. The other houses, all rated at 15/-, are more difficult to locate. One may have been situated close to the Road Engines, with two others to the northeast of the green. The overseers dwelling is listed by the valuers along with the bleach mill, and is probably the small building shown on the map roughly on the site of the present building ‘E’, just south of the mill itself.

By 1856 the running of the Upperlands mills had passed to the aforementioned William Clark and his younger brother, John, their father Alex effectively retiring. William later took over John’s share of the concern, thus establishing the firm of William Clark & Sons.

The onset of the American Civil War in 1861, and the subsequent stopping of cotton shipments across the Atlantic, created a much greater increase in the demand for linen and marked a period of expansion for may Irish firms. The valuation of 1864 indicates that Upperlands shared in this expansion, the rateable value of the combined beetling and bleaching mills rising from its 1856 total of £49, to £70, however, once again the physical expansion of the premises appears to have been incremental, with the bleach mill in 1868 still consisting of a single two-storey structure which was still water-driven. In fact, apart from the appearance of further workers’ dwellings scattered around the site, (all of which appear to have been fairly modest), little appears to changed during the following three decades. A plan of the bleach mill in 1888, included in Wallace Clark’s history, (the source of which is not given), confirms this, with the long mill building itself still the dominant structure.

In the 1890s the linen industry experienced another of its periodic booms. To help cope with this, steam power was [finally!] introduced into Upperlands in 1891. Six years later, the major expansion of the works was undertaken, beginning with the construction of a new two-storey beetling mill (the ‘Jubilee Mill’) on a newly-acquired piece of land further south of the Road Engines. As soon as this was completed in August 1897, work commenced on a new mill dam to the north of the Hall Field green, and the following year a three-storey brown room, [building ‘F’], was erected a few yards to the southeast of the existing bleach mill, replacing a much smaller building which stood close to the old house on the opposite side of the green. In the same year another new structure, [?to the west side of building ‘C’- but now demolished], housing a new boiler and engines were added, and the old water wheel from the bleach mill finally removed. A further new building, [?building ‘G’], was added in 1904 to house more stenter frames, (for the fixing of cloth at a uniform width- there appear to have been some prior to this in the bleach mill building itself). In 1900 a railway siding running from the main Northern Counties line to the south was laid, leading directly to the front of the brown room.

The addition of all of these new buildings, along with some other smaller structures, is reflected in the rateable value of the works, which rose from £77-2-0 in 1896 to £400 in 1902. By 1905, (two years after Clarks had bought the freehold from the Mercers’ Company), much of the west side of building ‘F’ was in place, along with ‘D’ to the north of the original bleach mill, the western end of building ‘E’ (where it now intersects with ‘B’), and the small dwelling house to the southern corner of building ‘H’. The south of the green a sprawling mass of buildings had spread organically around the site of the old Clark house, which itself appears to have been converted to an office after 1871. The works now employed 220 people some of whom occupied Boyne Row, a terrace of eight houses built by Clarks to the south of the works in 1898, and increased to 22 houses ten years later. Other employees dwelt in smaller groupings such as Posy Row, Puddle Row and Reilly’s Row, but unlike other mill villages such as Millford and Bessbrook in Co Armagh or Sion Mills in Co Tyrone, Upperlands did not develop to any formal plan.

The boom of the 1890s lasted up until the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. In 1908 this continued prosperity enabled the firm to install hydro-electric power and erect a new three-storey lapping room and offices (to the rear of building ‘M’). Two years later, after experiencing some difficulties in getting enough cloth to for the 2,000 pieces a week need to fulfil orders, it was decided to add a weaving factory to the complex and the very large single-storey structure with the north light roof (building ‘B’) was added to the northwest corner of the site, next to the river. To the immediate east of the new weaving section, the bulk of building ‘E’ [?another brown room] was added the following year, along with part of the west end of the existing brown room (‘F’) and an extension to the lapping room (‘M’).

Despite the civil unrest and economic uncertainty of the early 1920s, the continued expansion Upperlands was not halted. In 1920 the large brick extension to the south side of the brown room appeared, along with the northwest section of the building to the immediate south of this (‘I’). The latter appears to have been one of the first of Upperlands Belfast Truss-roofed structures. Another Belfast Truss structure was to follow in 1923 with the building of a new dye house to the south side of the works (now demolished). Another, a frame house, added to the northeastern corner sometime prior to 1926 (building ‘H’). The two-storey dwelling house (‘K’), to the south at the head of the main drive, was erected around this time also, as well as further extensions to the lapping room / office ensemble at the south end of the green. In March 1929, however a large section of the latter was gutted by fire, resulting in the building of a new single-storey replacement, in the then fashionable Art Deco style, later that year.

By the mid 1930s, the complex as we see it today had largely taken shape, although the extra storey to building ‘E’ is believed to have been added in 1940, and the weaving factory extended northwards in c.1948-49. By c.1950 William Clark & Sons employed 600, with 244 involved in weaving, 97 in beetling or as millwrights, 98 in the lapping room, 42 office workers and 20 looking after the waterways and roads throughout the 70 acres the works now covered. The workforce peaked at around 700 in c.1952. By this time, changes in technology and fashion, persuaded the firm to diversify into the production of ‘bonded’ or ‘fused’ textiles and laminated , needled and non-woven fabrics, (mainly used in the interlining of garments), as well as textile wall coverings. In 1980 a new ‘coating plant’ a large single-storey single-span structure was erected on the south side of the complex.

Though production at Upperlands has continued to the present day, the workforce, in common with the few surviving local textile manufacturers, has dwindled to a fraction of its 1950s peak. Most of the complex as established by the middle of the 20th century has survived, albeit with many of the structures in a much altered form, and many, such as the large lapping room / office block, no longer in use, with others only partially in service as stores. Somewhat miraculously, given the changes to the rest of the site, the original thatched beetling mill has survived, and now houses a small museum.

References- Primary sources
1 Letter from Alex Clark, Upperlands, to Charles Beacon Esq (of the Mercers Company), London, (27th April 1821) [This letter is transcribed in Wallace Clark’s ‘Linen on the Green’- see secondary sources below.]
2 Report from Mr. Bernard [?Upperlands] to the Mercers’ Company, London (October 1821) [Part of this report is transcribed in Wallace Clark’s ‘Linen on the Green’- see secondary sources below.]
3 PRONI VAL/1A/5/3/32 OS map, County Londonderry sheet 32, with valuation
references (1831-c.38)
4 PRONI VAL/1B/534A-B First valuation, Maghera (1831-c.38)
5 ‘OS Memoirs of Ireland…vol.18’ ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB, 1993), pp.35, 49, 73
6 PRONI VAL/2A/5/3/32 OS map, County Londonderry sheet 32, with valuation references (1856)
7 PRONI VAL/2B/5/37D Second valuation, Maghera (1856)
8 PRONI VAL/12B/34/27A-E Annual valuation revision books, Maghera RD (1864-1923)
9 PRONI VAL/12D/32B OS map, County Londonderry sheet 32, with valuation references (1856-79) [This map is merely the OS map of 1856 with the valuation references altered.]
10 PRONI VAL/12D/32G OS map, County Londonderry sheet 32, with valuation references (1856-c.1900) [This map is merely the OS map of 1856 with the valuation references altered.]
11 PRONI VAL/12A/5/70 Valuers’ office notebook (1895-1900)
12 PRONI VAL/12A/5/71 Valuers’ office notebook (1901-03)
13 PRONI VAL/12A/5/72 Valuers’ office notebook (1904-07)
14 PRONI OS/6/32/3 OS map, County Londonderry sheet 32, (1905-08)
15 PRONI VAL/12A/5/73 Valuers’ office notebook (1908-10)
16 PRONI VAL/12A/5/74 Valuers’ office notebook (1910-11)
17 PRONI VAL/12A/5/75 Valuers’ office notebook (1912-14)
18 PRONI VAL/12A/5/76 Valuers’ office notebook (1914-22)
19 PRONI VAL/12B/34/30 Annual valuation revision books, Upperlands ED (1923-29)
20 PRONI VAL/12A/5/70 Valuers’ loose leaf binder (1924-34)
21 PRONI VAL/3B/6/10 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Upperlands ED (1935)
23 PRONI VAL/3D/6/7BB/5 Valuers’ revaluation binders, Magherafelt RD (1935-57)
22 PRONI VAL/3C/6/16 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Upperlands ED (1936-57)
24 PRONI VAL/3A/5/32 OS map, County Londonderry, with revaluation references (1937-52)
25 PRONI OS/6/32/4 OS map, County Londonderry sheet 32, (1950)
26 PRONI VAL/4B/5/34 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland (1956-72)

Secondary sources
1 Clark, Wallace, ‘Linen on the Green- An Irish Mill Village 1730-1982’ (Belfast, The Universities Press, 2nd ed. 1983) [In his acknowledgements Wallace Clark states that ‘most company records and relics prior to 1914 have been destroyed’ and that in writing the book he relied on annals written by his grandfather, Harry Clark, and records compiled by his father, ‘Young Harry’.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
F. Structural System
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Large sprawling textile factory complex made up of an architecturally disparate accumulation of single to four storey structures, mainly dating from the late 19th and early 20th century, but with most greatly added to and altered in the mid to later 1900s. The factory occupies a site which has been associated with the production of cloth, (weaving, dying and finishing), since the 1730s, and contains a small former beetling mill believed to date from 1742. Some of the buildings are less well preserved examples of the linen mill genre. The overall heritage importance of the site however is enhanced by the presence of the surviving bleach green, mill dams and water power infrastructure as well as the group value of historically related buildings and structures throughout the village of Upperlands.