17-19 Aughnamirigan Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached two-bay two-storey former corn mill, built c.1820, located to the west side of Aghnamirigan Road, Omagh. Rectangular-on-plan aligned north-south with single-storey porch extension at east; further two-storey block at south.

Roof is pitched natural slate; blue/black clay ridge tiles; replacement ogee-profile aluminium rainwater goods. Walls are roughly coursed random rubble with tooled fieldstone quoins; windows are square-headed timber casements with projecting stone heads and cills unless otherwise stated.

Principal elevation faces east and is abutted at right by single-storey entrance porch with pitched natural slate roof; exposed section at left contains square-headed opening at first floor.

Left (south) gable contains metal sheeted sliding door at ground floor.

Rear (west) elevation is accessed at first floor level and contains square-headed timber sheeted entrance door at right; single window at left.

Right (north) gable is blank and is attached by original and intact cast-iron mill wheel with timber floatboards.

Single-storey extension east gable contains single window at centre; left cheek contains square-headed timber sheeted entrance door ay right.

South block is detailed as north block with roughcast rendered walling. East elevation contains three windows at first floor.

Setting:-
The mill is located to the road edge with the south block set back from the road with gravel forecourt.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Stone
Windows: Timber
RWG: Replacement aluminium

Historical information

A rectangular building is shown on the first edition OS map of 1833, as well as two buildings to the south. The site is captioned ‘Corn Mill and ‘Corn Kiln’. On the second edition a ‘Mill Pond’ is shown It is captioned ‘Aghnamirigan Mill’ on the 1906 edition and also shown are a ‘Mill Dam’, ‘Sluice’ and ‘Mill Race’.

The Townland Valuation records the entire property as a ‘Corn Mill, Kiln and land’, which is valued at £8. The occupiers are Michael and John McGlinchy. Dimensions are given for the corn kiln and mill. A marginal note reads ‘this mill would let for £18 yearly without having any tenant in bound to it (we have valued it when classed with other mills in the country at £12)’.

Griffith’s Valuation of 1858 records that the site is leased from Sir William McMahon Bt. The ‘Corn Mill and Kiln’, which appears to correspond to the current building, is valued at £6.15s, and occupied by Andrew, James & John McGlinchy, each occupying a ‘house, office and land’, valued at £0.15s in addition. The decrease in the valuation is explained; ‘this corn mill was published at £8 on the townland valuation but since their business has fallen off very much. Of late there is very little meal made in this country’.

Valuation Revisions value the mill at £5.5s in 1860, and the associated houses appear to be valued together at £2.5s in 1881. The occupier of the mill is revised from John to Michael in 1879 (the other two names are deleted in 1880 and 1881).

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/19/1-4 - Ordnance Survey Maps (1833, 1854, 1906, 1952)
2. PRONI VAL/1/A/6/19 - Townland Valuation Map (1820-1840)
3. PRONI VAL/1/B/643 - Townland Valuation (1820-1840)
4. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/19A - Griffith’s Valuation Map (1858)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/45B - Griffith’s Valuation (1858)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/38/2A-E - Valuation Revisions (1860-1929)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Detached two-bay two-storey corn mill, built c.1820. The mill and associated mill workings remain largely intact. However, some external detailing has been altered and while of local interest, it is not among the best examples of the type.