Mill, Mill Lane, Moneymore, Magherafelt, Co Londonderry

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 4 bay long building with basement, gabled stone built with silos.

The entrance gable, S facing, has a large square headed door opening, slightly off-centre, with sliding door. Wall roughcast rendered, unpainted, no barges. The E wall (to Mill Lane) is 4 bays long. There is one large opening at floor level and 3 small openings near eaves, all built up. Mill Lane slopes quickly so the basement is exposed at lower end. Wall built of random white limestone with large quoins of same stone. ½ metal gutter, PVC downpipe. Roof natural slates. North gable has an off-centre square headed door opening to basement with a small opening higher up centred on gable and built up. Wall built of random rubble white limestone. The west wall is partly obscured by 3 tall silos and back return. The top of the tallest silo is connected to roof ridge by an enclosed shaft.

The building sits parallel to Mill Lane, north of and below No. 4/6 Stonard Street (See HB09/06/002). The lane widens out as it approaches the entrance gable.

Historical information

The site of the present mill is that of the 17th cent. plantation mill. The wheel fed from pond and mill race which lay below No. 4/6 Stonard Street. The race crossed Stonard Street and flowed along the east side of the First Presbyterian Church site and thence along the bottom of the gardens to High Street. It can be observed at the bottom of the Manor House garden. It then ran parallel to the Desertmartin Road where it skirted what was formerly the Moneymore Rly Station and was supplied by a large dam which straddles the Tullynagee Road. There is a good illustration of the mill in Booth’s sketch of it done in 1827. See Curl’s, Moneymore and Draperstown and also the map of the village 1832 in the same publication which shows the position of the mill pond. The mill in Booth’s sketch is a rebuild of 1785. It was destroyed by fire in 1888 and rebuilt in 1890. It was a corn mill. The mill reconstructed in the Gortin History Park is based on descriptive text of the Moneymore Mill with its wooden wheel.

The present structure used as a bird food preparation and packaging mill.

References

Primary Sources
1. O.S. Map 1832 Londonderry sh. 46.
2. O.S. Map 1832 Rev. 1856 Londonderry sh. 46.
3. Notes, 1st Survey, E.H.S. Hill Street, Belfast
4. Curl J.S. Moneymore and Draperstown UAHS p. 15, 34
5. Curl J.S. The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914 p. 186

Secondary Sources
1. Gribbon, H.D. The History of Water Power in Ulster. p. 41

I H No. 2296.2

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

The site is of interest as the location of a former water driven corn mill of at least early 17th cent. date.