Old Mill House,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay two-storey rendered house, built c.1830. L-plan, facing east with three-bay single-storey elevation to road and a two-bay two-storey extension to southwest. A single-storey conservatory is attached to the south, while a rear entrance porch is attached to the west gable end. House is set within its own grounds with a two-storey detached structure to the west.

Natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles, hipped to the north and to south of return, gabled to the south gable. Rendered chimneystack to south gable and to west gable of return with octagonal clay pots. Replacement metal rainwater goods.

Walls are painted cement render with render quoins and a smooth render plinth course having a roll-moulding.

Windows are square-headed with painted concrete sills and 6/6 timber sash windows, to front and north side elevations, uPVC to remainder.

Symmetrical three-bay two-storey front elevation with central square-headed door opening having replacement timber double-leaf panelled door with its upper panels glazed and a horizontal over-light, all opening onto a stone-clad step. To either side of the entrance is a replacement tripartite timber sash window comprising 6/6 flanked by 2/2 timber sashes. To the first floor windows are 6/6.

South elevation has a pair of window openings to the first floor with uPVC windows and a large three-sided canted conservatory with lead and slate roof.

Hipped natural slate roof to canted rear entrance porch with timber door and uPVC windows.

The ground floor to the north side elevation is below road level with the first floor windows having replacement 6/6 timber sash windows and steel sills.

Setting:-
Set on a landscaped site, with its rear elevation to the road, to the north of a small stream. Original red brick wall encloses front garden to the north, now cement rendered. Tall rendered walls to the west with tall rendered piers and a pair of steel gates. A large former outbuilding, now finished like the house, has its rear elevation fronting onto the road, with door openings giving the structure a commercial use.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Cement render
Windows: Timber / uPVC
RWG: Metal

Historical information

Uncaptioned buildings are on the site in the first edition OS Map of 1833. On the second edition of 1854 the complex is captioned ‘Mullaghmore Corn, Flax & Saw Mills’. In the third edition OS Map of 1906 the buildings are captioned ‘Mullaghmore Mills (Corn & Flax)’.

In the Townland Valuation Records the buildings are described as a dwelling house (34 ft 6in x 20 ft 6 in x 18 ft 6 in), an office and beetling mill (57 ft 6 in x 25 ft x 18 ft 6 in) and an office (25 ft 6 in x 18 ft 6 in x 16 ft 6 in) all occupied by William Chambers. They are buildings are valued at £5 0s 0d Griffith’s Valuation describes the buildings as a house, offices, corn and flax mills and land valued at £57 5s 0d, which remains its valuation until the early 1900s. The buildings are occupied by John Donnelly and leased from Rev Thomas L Stack. In the Annual Revision Records the occupier is revised after 1879 to Edward Arnold and the lessors continue to be the Stack family. In 1902 the property is described as a flax mill (at rest).

The OS Memoirs makes a cursory mention of the mill; “a Sunday School is also held in the mill at Mullaghmore’. (p.18,19)

In Deeson’s history of the W & C Scott grain mill established in Omagh in 1850 and still operating, he describes how Charles Scott installed his brother-in-law Edward Arnold as manager in the Mullaghmore Mill in 1889 and the branch was carried on for a number of years as Arnold & Co. (p.30)

Primary Sources:

1. PRONI OS/6/6/35/1-3 – Ordnance Survey Maps (1833, 1854, 1906)
2. PRONI VAL/1/A/6/35 – Townland Valuation Map
3. PRONI VAL/1/B/645/B – Townland Valuation Records (1828-40)
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/36/A-M – Annual Revision Records (1860-1929)
5. PRONI VAL/12/D/6/35/A-M – Annual Revision Maps
6. Day, A and McWilliams, P eds. ‘OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Tyrone I, 1821, 1823, 1833-36, Vol 5’ Institute of Irish Studies, 1990

Secondary Sources:

1. Dean T et al, ‘The Stones that Ground the Corn: The Story of an Irish Country Grain Mill 1850-2000’ Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A three-bay two-storey house of the early Nineteenth century, formerly of late Georgian appearance, but extensively renovated. While the façade composition has been retained, its character has substantially compromised as a result of the work. The surviving interest of this site is its industrial past and river setting. The extensive alterations to the house have detracted from its quality and it is no longer of special architectural or historic interest.