Riverdale Mill Complex, 24 Aghalee Road, Aghagallion BT57 0AR

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

SETTING:
Threshing mill complex of the 1870s, restored / partly rebuilt and converted to a wedding venue c.1990s. The complex is located on the western side of Aghalee Road about 0.3km north of Aghagallon, immediately north of a large mill pond. To the north, and originally associated with the mill, are two houses of pre-1832 origin, both of which were remodelled c.1920s following a fire (see HB14/08/024A), and on the opposite side of the road is the more formal mill-owner’s dwelling of 1911-12 (HB14/08/108A), set within a garden which contains ornamental ‘rocaille’ structures of c.1880-1910.

To the southern end of the site, backing on to the mill pond on a roughly east-west axis, is the main mill building (Building 1) - a long, double-height / two-storey, part rubble, part brick gable-ended range with a slate roof. Attached to the west end of this is a large single-storey brick lean-to which to the north flows (by means of another lean-to) into a two-storey rubble and brick gabled block (Building 2). To the north again, this block faces into a yard, enclosed to the west by a tall rubble wall, to the north by single-storey gable-ended rubble building (Building 3), and to the east by the gable of a long double-height former shed with part rubble, part timber and part corrugated-metal sheeted walls and a curved roof covered in similar sheeting (Building 4). Extending roughly from the mid-point of the southern side of this is a relatively recent single-storey flat –roofed timber and glazed structure which links across to the main mill. All of the above buildings have been converted to serve as part of the wedding venue, (function rooms, bar, kitchen, storerooms, WCs etc. etc.) and have experienced various degrees of alteration.

Access to the complex is off the Aghalee Road with a short drive leading to a vehicle gateway set within a tall rubble wall, which, to the south abuts Building 1, and to the north links to another gateway to the immediate S of the southernmost house (24 Aghalee Rd). The gateway has square piers in polychrome brick with what appear to be original wrought-iron gates.

BUILDING 1:
The main mill. The mill appears to have been built in two phases as the westernmost third, (which housed the machinery and as such may be, in part, older), is largely in brick and has two levels, whilst the rest is in a more unified combination of brick and rubble and contains only one, double-height space. The north elevation of the latter section is composed of a series of tall semi-circular headed arches, now adapted as windows. The modern link to Building 4 now largely covers the most westerly arch. The piers between the arches are in a markedly different shade of brick; this may have been for purely aesthetic reasons; however, it could indicate that they have been reconstructed.

The east gable directly overlooks the mill pond and is rubble-built, rising from a much rougher rubble base, and has a series of small, regularly-spaced, circular ventilation holes dressed in brick and now glazed. The south elevation, which also faces directly on to the pond, is similar to the east gable but in addition has two relatively large arched doorways, also dressed in brick. The left-hand door, which has a slated hood over, leads on to a walkway created on top of what was a sluice gate, which ultimately leads to a narrow stepping-stone ‘causeway’ that crosses the pond. The door to the right, meanwhile, opens on to a decked platform of recent construction.

The westernmost third of the mill is mainly rubble to the ground floor level and brick over, with the lean-to to the west end wholly in brick. The north elevation, which is partially covered by the modern link, has two brick-dressed windows and a doorway to the ground floor, with three more to the first floor, all with timber frames and a timber door. To the south elevation is the original waterwheel which has been restored. This is a breastshot waterwheel with six arms and 30 or 36 (unable to discern) buckets. The hub and rims are of cast-iron and the arms, buckets and sole plate are of timber, which is housed in a lean-to like open-fronted projection in polychrome brick and rubble with a slated roof, with the opening for the mill race on the eastern face of this. To both the right and left of this housing is a window as those to the north elevation, with another two to the upper floor. To the south face of the lean-to to the west end there is another, slightly larger window with a square ventilation opening to the immediate right of this. This face is set at a slight angle to the rest of the building. To the north the lean-to abuts another lean-to built against Building 2. The western face has a doorway and window, and above, on the gable of the main mill building, there is another window.

BUILDING 2:
This two-storey block resembles a small dwelling house. The north elevation is in brick and has an unusual ground floor arrangement consisting of two broad elliptical arched recesses with a much smaller recess to the centre. The left-hand recess has a central doorway, with a high level window to that of the right, whilst the central one contains a small stone drinking trough. The piers separating these features and the outer edges of the larger recesses are all in yellow brick. To the first floor are two windows, much as those to Building 1. The southern elevation is in rubble at ground floor level and brick above. To the ground floor there are two large windows with slated awning-like hoods over each. To the first floor are two windows, as on the north side. The western gable is in rubble and is featureless. The eastern gable is also in rubble, but most of it is covered by the lean-to. This is in rubble and has a large window to the right of which is a doorway, with another window to the short north face.

BUILDING 3:
To the N of Building 2 is a small yard which is enclosed to the north end by a single-storey gable-ended block – Building 3. This is largely constructed in rubble with brick dressings and a slate roof. The south elevation has a large central portion in what appears to be render made to resemble whitewashed rubble (presumably this portion was originally open, or contained a large vehicle access.) To this section there are two closely-positioned doorways with a squat high-level window to that to the left. To the west gable there is a centrally-positioned roundel, dressed in brick, whilst to the north-facing rear elevation there are four (recently inserted) high level windows, as that to the south.

BUILDING 4:
The south frontage and rear (north) elevation of this large former barn have been reconstructed in timber in recent years and are of little interest; (the south side was originally completely open.) The east gable is largely clad in corrugated-metal, whilst the west gable is mainly in rubble but with the uppermost third in corrugated metal sheeting.
An enamel makers plate is affixed at high level to SE elevation, reading ''''Smith & Pearson Ltd Dublin''''. From 1901 untill the 1970''''s, Smith & Pearson''''s Newcomen Foundry, Dublin, exported metalwork and agricultural buildings worldwide.

All of the structures within the complex were restored c.2000 or later and much of their detailing and layout dates from this time. The waterwheel gearing (or at least a portion of it) remains in place, but the roof trusses in the barns, doors, floors etc. all appear to be replacements much in keeping with the originals or (in the case of the tiled and timber flooring) completely new introductions. The surveyors did not have access to the toilet block, but presumably this has witnessed the most radical alterations of any of the sections.

MATERIALS:
Walls- coursed rubble stone with sand & cement pointing/ brick/ corrugated iron sheet
Roof - natural slate/ corrugated iron sheet
Windows- timber/ aluminium
Doors- timber/ aluminium
RWG''''s- 1/2 round CI cguttering & downpipes

Historical information

A threshing mill is first cited in 1872 Valuation revision book entry, along with a house and offices. The buildings belonged to James Gilbert and had a combined rateable valuation of £15.10s.0d. No outbuildings are shown on the 1832 OS 6-inch map and although several small ones are shown hereabouts on the 1858 map, their dimensions, as listed in the c.1860 Valuation book, do not match any of the ones now present within the focus area. Later maps show the mill to have been powered by water from an adjacent pond fed by the Goudy River. It would have been used to mechanically separate and winnow grain from straw.

Given a possible time lag of up to several years between a building being erected and its recording by the Valuation surveyors, the mill appears to date from the period 1870-72. The Valuation revision books note an increase in the property's valuation to £20 in 1878, but it reduces to £14 the following year; evidently there was some construction work, unfortunately not specified. Jonathan Gilbert is listed in place of James as the owner from 1887 onwards.

The 1900 OS 25-inch map shows a number of buildings within the survey area, including the threshing mill and pond, albeit not explicitly captioned. A detailed description of the complex is given in the 1912 Valuation notebook. It identifies 16 buildings extant at that time, including the ones under review. They are variously of rubble masonry, brick, corrugated iron, or open sided and their roofs are of slate and corrugated iron. The surveyor noted the buildings "are all farm buildings in first class repair and fully utilized". No specific details of the threshing mill are given except that it was rated at four horsepower and "only used for a short period each winter by Mr Gilbert for his own use".

Except for a few minor additions, the 1920 OS 25-inch map is identical to the 1900 edition. The 1924-34 valuation notebooks record the threshing mill's continuing operation by Jonathan Gilbert. The valuations from 1934 onwards make no mention of the mill, but this probably due to it being included in the overall rating of the outbuildings. Precisely how long it continued to operate is uncertain, but there appears to have been someone employed on the premises up until at least 1954 (see below).

In the late 1980s, the farmyard complex, by now disused, was purchased by its present owner and, over the next ten years or, some of the buildings were converted into a wedding venue which now operates as 'Riverdale Barn'. This work also entailed rewatering the dried-up pond, lining it with concrete, and refurbishing the waterwheel. The fate of the threshing machine is unknown.

The Gilbert family are believed to have retained the whole site until - or shortly before - 1925, when the house to the north (‘Laganville’ – present no.26 Aghalee Road) was sold to James Mulholland. At some point around this time both of the houses to the north of the mill (nos.24 and 26) were damaged in a fire and remodelled along their present lines.

The Gilberts continued to live at ‘Riverdale’, the large formal dwelling built opposite in 1911-12 (present no.19 Aghalee Road, see HB14/08/108A), up until at least 1954, with a mill employee occupying the much-reduced no.24 up to this date also. The latter was acquired by the present owner in c.1989, whilst no.26 appears to have been occupied by the Mulholland family up until c.2010s, but is currently [April 2022] vacant.

[For more information on nos.24 and 26 Aghalee Road, and Riverdale etc. see HB14/08/024A]

References - Primary sources:
1 PRONI OS/6/1/66/1. First edition OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 66 (1832).
2 PRONI VAL/1/A/66. First Valuation map (1834).
3 PRONI VAL/1/B/165A. First Valuation book (1834).
4 PRONI OS/6/1/66/2. Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 66 (1858).
5 PRONI VAL/2/A/1/66. Second Valuation map (c.1860).
6 PRONI VAL/2/B/1/54. Second Valuation book (c.1860).
7 PRONI VAL/12/B/9/1A-1E. Valuation Revision Books (1864-1923).
8 PRONI OS/10/1/66/3/1. First edition OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 66-03 (1900).
9 PRONI VAL/12/B/9/2E. Valuation revision books (1918-28).
10 PRONI OS/10/1/66/3/2. Second edition OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 66-03 (1920).
11 PRONI VAL/12/A/1/105. Valuation revision books (1924-34).
12 PRONI VAL/12/F/1/14/1. Valuation revision books (1930-35).
13 PRONI VAL/3/D/1/14/A/1. Valuation revision books (1933-57).
14 PRONI VAL/3/B/1/14. Valuation revision books (1933-57).
15 PRONI VAL/3/B/1/14. Valuation revision book (1935).
16 PRONI VAL/3/C/1/26. Valuation revision books (1936-57).
17 'Lisburn Herald and Antrim and Down Advertiser', 9 January 1954

Secondary sources
1 Brett, C.E.B. ‘Buildings of County Antrim’, (Belfast, 1996), pp.265-66
2 Information from owner of no.24, (November 2018)
3 Riverdale Barn website, .

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

‘Riverdale’ is a threshing mill complex of the 1870s, restored / partly rebuilt and converted to a wedding venue c.1990s. The complex is located between Aghalee and Aghagallon near the SW shores of Lough Neagh. All of the structures within the mill complex were restored c.2000 or later and much of their detailing and layout dates from this time. While the mill's setting has been retained on its SW side (the mill pond) and the breastshot restored waterwheel is original and of technical interest, its significance is diminished by the fact that the thresher is missing. Given the cumulated changes, the complex does not therefore retain sufficient historic fabric to meet the legislative test for listing.