Sinton's Mill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively small and compact flax spinning mill complex built between c.1865 and c.1882 in a combination of rubble, brick and render and consisting of a three storey mill and related two and single storey buildings arranged around a courtyard. The mill is set within semi-rural surroundings on the southern outskirts of Tandragee.

This is a complicated building to describe because of its size. A map of the mill with a number given to each constituent part of the complex is referred to in this description. This relates to numbers added by the present owner and will be appended to the listing map to ease identification.

In a very loose sense, the mill complex is figure of eight shaped, with the main entrance to the NW corner leading into a surprisingly intimate and somewhat picturesque courtyard with the two storey former manager’s house and single storey office block to the N side, two storey former stores and preparing block to the W, a further two storey former preparing block (with single storey lean-to), to the S and the single storey former hackling block to the E. Beyond this courtyard, to the SE, is the large, (but relatively small by contemporary standards), three storey mill block. To the W/SW of this is a large single storey former preparing block with northlights, to the S a two storey former mechanics’ workshop, and to the N and W a sprawling collection of largely single storey buildings formerly used as stores. The vast majority of these buildings were built between c.1865 and c.1882, however many of the single storey sheds to the NE date from the 1980s, as does a very large single to two storey extension to the west of the courtyard.

As stated above, the courtyard is entered from the NW corner through a plain and unpretentious large flat arch vehicle doorway with timber sheeted double doors incorporating a wicket gate. This leads directly through into the courtyard, with the yard itself largely filled with an unexpected expanse of lawn with a tree in the centre, giving the place the air of a school yard rather than a factory.

Manager’s House and office block (3a-b)
To the N side of the courtyard is the former manager’s house and office block [Blocks 3a and 3b on plan]. The manager’s house is a relatively plain two storey building with gabled roof and rendered façade. Its front (S) elevation is asymmetrical with the entrance to the right of centre and consisting of a panelled timber door with plain jambs all set within a recess topped with a plain segmental arched fanlight. To either side of the entrance is a full height hipped roof canted bay with sill courses and prominent cornice-like string course between the floor levels. Each facet to each floor of each bay has a window with those to the broader centre facets larger. The windows are all sash bar one (which has a modern hopper opener frame) with vertical glazing bars to the larger central windows (2 panes over 2). To the first floor between the bays (directly above the doorway) is another sash window (same as those to the centre of the bays), whilst to the far left hand side of the elevation there is a much narrower plain sash window to both ground and first floor.

The rear (N facing) elevation of the house is rendered also and has two widely spaced windows to the ground floor and two to the first floor with another at half-landing level to the centre. The last window is sash with Georgian panes (6 over 6) the rest mullioned and transomed.

The house has a pitched slated roof which is gabled to the E end (with overhang and plain barges). There are three evenly spaced rendered chimney stacks to the ridge. The house has cast iron down spouts and extruded aluminium guttering.

To the immediate E side the house merges with the single storey office section. This has a rubble stone façade with painted brick in-out dressings to openings and a cream brick eaves course. The front (S) elevation is asymmetrical and is chamfered to the left hand side. To the left of centre is a doorway with panelled and glazed door with large two pane shallow segmental arch headed fanlight. To the left of this are three windows all with shallow segmental arched heads, six pane mullioned and transomed windows and the aforementioned painted brick dressings. Most of the windows throughout the complex are identical to these. One of the windows has been partly boarded over. To the right of the doorway are three more windows. To the far right is a large vehicle opening with segmental arch head. Within this opening there is another pedestrian doorway.

The rear elevation of the office section has two lean-to projections. That to left (E) is smaller and appears to have one window to its N face, whilst the larger one to right has three windows to its N face. Between the lean-tos (to main building) is another window. All of the rear windows appear to have frames as front, but all appears to be flat arch and none have dressings.

The pitched roof of the office section is slated. To rear there is a cast iron skylight. RW goods as house

Store block to north (4)
To the E (just beyond the courtyard) the office block merges with a two storey hipped roof store block. This is in red brick to the N, but the rear elevation are and parts of the E an W elevations in rubble stone. Cream brick eaves course to all elevations. To the ground floor of the front (S) there is a large segmental headed loading bay door (i.e. raised off the ground) with timber sheeted double door. To the left of this are four windows, much as front of previous block but without dressings; to the right of the door are four similar windows. To the first floor there are nine similar but shorter windows.

To the ground floor of the rear elevation there are four relatively small louvered openings with brick dressings, with four more similar but smaller openings to the first floor. The hipped roof of this block is slated with a small cast iron skylight to the N and another to the W. PVC downspouts and extruded aluminium guttering.

Store block to northeast (10)
To the immediate E the above block merges with a long single storey block also previously used as a store. The western half of this block dates from the late 19th century and has a rubble stone S elevation, but the eastern half is a relatively recent (or recently altered) utilitarian roughcast rendered affair, probably dating from the 1980s.

To the front elevation of the older western portion there is a large segmental headed vehicle doorway to the left hand side with in-out rendered dressings and timber sheeted double doors. To the right of this are two brick dressed windows, much as those mentioned previously. To right again is a segmental headed pedestrian doorway with partly glazed door. To the right of this are three more windows, smaller than before and with a deeper segmental arch to the centre window.

The rear elevation of this block is set further to the N than that of the previous blocks. It appears to be rubble-built with six small flat arch windows, some boarded up. The gabled roof is covered in corrugated asbestos. PVC guttering and cast iron downspouts.

The eastern half of the block is finished in roughcast to the front (S) and E with plain cement render to the rear (N). To the left hand side of the front elevation there are two large segmental headed windows separated by large piers. To the right of these is a large flat arch open vehicle doorway. At eaves level to the front elevation is clad in corrugated iron, with further similar cladding to the E gable. The gable roof is covered in corrugated asbestos.

Stables (5)
To the east of the previous block (but not attached to it) is a two storey former stable block, in rubble stone with brick dressings to openings and a slated gabled roof. This block appears to have been originally free-standing but to the W elevation a large, utilitarian, cement rendered shed (dating from 1987) has been added.

The still exposed section of the front elevation of the stable block has two large elliptical headed vehicle headed doorways now without doors. To right of these is a flat arch pedestrian doorway, without door; there was a similar doorway to left of the vehicle doorways, but this has been ‘cut across’ by the abovementioned shed and only some of its dressings can still be seen. To the first floor there were at least three flat arch windows and a loft door, but the windows are now blocked with breeze blocks. The loft doorway has a timber sheeted door.

To he S gable of the stable block there is another pedestrian doorway (without door) to left on the ground floor, with a small window (with Georgian-paned frame) to right. The doorway is now cut across by a relatively recent open stair which leads to an upper level doorway (with timber sheeted door) to right. The other elevations of the stable block could not be seen.

Preparing room and stores to west (2b) and extension (8)
On the west side of the courtyard is a two storey gabled block, formerly used as a store to the ground floor with preparing room(s) above. To the E facing (courtyard) elevation this block is in rubble stone and brick, however the once exposed W elevation is now completely covered by a very large modern utilitarian two-single storey structure (Block 8) with in concrete brick with a very shallow gabled / lean-to roof. The latter section appears to have been added in 1981, but appears to have replaced an earlier smaller building.

The E (courtyard) facing elevation has the main vehicle entrance to the complex to right on the ground floor (see above). To left of this there are three windows (much as before) and two pedestrian doorways, with timber sheeted doors with large fanlights. To right of the entrance is another window, much as before but considerably narrower. The whole of the ground floor is in rubble stone with painted brick dressings to the openings.

The upper floor is in red brick and has nine (largely) evenly spaced windows, as those to ground floor but smaller and without dressings. Cream brick eaves course. The gabled roof is slated. Cast iron downspouts and extruded aluminium guttering.

Preparing block to south (2a)
To the south side of the courtyard is a long uniform former preparing block in brick with a long lean-to section covering almost all of the ground floor level. This lean-to has fourteen windows all much as before but without dressings and with some panes of some frames boarded over. The lean-to does not cover an small portion to the far left on the ground floor. Here there is a tall pedestrian doorway with timber sheeted door with large four pane fanlight. The exposed E face of the lean-to is timber clad with a timber sheeted pedestrian door. To the first floor (of main block) there sixteen windows, all as lean-to but smaller.

The S elevation of this block could not be seen, however, it is clear from internal evidence that its entire ground floor length is abutted by a very large single storey block with north lights (also formerly used for preparing) [Block 7]*, and that there is a shallow ‘lean-to’ section to the right hand (E) side of the upper floor. The E gable of block 2a is only exposed at first floor level, it is brick-built but has no openings. The roof of the block is gabled and covered with asbestos tiles. The roof has an overhang to the E gable, with shaped barges. The lean-to is covered in asbestos tiles to the lower half and corrugated asbestos to the upper half. Cream brick eaves course to the two storey section. Cast iron downspouts and extruded aluminium guttering.

[*Nothing could be seen of the exterior of this block either but internal observation showed that it does have a series of windows to the S similar to the windows of the previous blocks.]

Hackling block etc. (9a-b & 11)
To the E side of the courtyard is a tall single storey gabled block formerly used for hackling. This block is rubble stone built, but has had its roof raised at some point and the upper third of each of its exposed elevations are now clad in corrugated iron. Attached to the E side of this block there is another long single storey block in much the same style, extended in the 1980s to the E end but retaining its original roof height. Attached to the E of the taller block and the S of the lower block is a large utilitarian gabled structure(block 11), added at some point after 1922.

The W elevation of the taller block has eight windows, much as those to other blocks (segmental heads, painted brick dressings, mullioned and transomed frames etc.). Between the fifth and sixth windows is a doorway with timber sheeted double door and four pane fanlight. To the N facing gable there are five windows, as before. To the E the block is abutted by the structures mentioned above and is only exposed to the very right hand edge, where there is a timber sheeted pedestrian door. The gabled roof is covered in corrugated asbestos.

The long but lower single storey block to the E has sixteen windows (as before) to its N elevation and a timber sheeted pedestrian door. The window to the far left is set with a (relatively) small cement rendered extension which was appears to have added to the block in relatively recent times [?1980s]. To the E gable (of the extension) there are two windows (as before) to the centre and right. To the left of these are two small windows (with modern frames) and a timber sheeted pedestrian door. Much of the left and centre of the S elevation is covered by the post 1922 utilitarian structure mentioned above and an opening lean-to structure which stretches further to E, however three windows, (as those to the N elevation), are still fully exposed to the right hand side with another smaller window to the extension. The gabled roof of this block is covered in corrugated asbestos with two large curved ventilation ducts extending from the ridge.

The utilitarian single storey structure (block 11) is attached to the main mill building to the S (see below) with the result that only its E gable appears to be exposed; this is finished in plain cement render and has a small window near to gabled apex, whilst to the ground floor there is a corrugated asbestos-clad lean-to (containing a ‘corridor’).

In the area to the immediate E of block 11 there is an untidy collection of structures including a tall octagonal brick chimney and various silo-like tanks with pipes running between them.

The mill, engine house and yarn stores (1a-b & 6)
The mill and engine house (Block 1a) is the largest single structure on the site and probably the oldest. It is situated on the SE side of the complex and is largely rubble-built with a slated gabled roof with large roof lights; the windows are much as before with shallow segemental arch heads, painted brick dressings and mullioned and transomed timber frames. To the S of it there is a brick-built single and two storey extension, formerly the mechanics’ workshop. Joined to the east end of the mill is a similar but lower three storey block former largely used as a yarn store (Block 1b). Its form and detailing largely repeats that of the mill however to its eastern end there is a large sprawling single storey cement rendered extension, (Block 6), added in the 1980s.

Block 1a
The ground floor of the N elevation of the mill is now largely obscured by block 11 (described above), however, two pedestrian doorways (with timber sheeted doors and large fanlights) and two windows are still fully exposed to the left hand side. To each of the two upper floors there is a uniform line of fourteen windows. The E gable is only exposed at second floor level and is blank. The W gable is exposed at second floor level also with part of the first floor level also exposed. There is a centrally positioned (stairwell) window between first and second floor levels.

The ground and first floor levels of the S elevation of the mill are largely obscured by the presence of a large two storey hipped roof engine house to the right hand end of the elevation and a long single former storey mechanics’ workshop beyond (both described below), however, internal evidence shows that most of the first floor windows are still fully exposed. The second floor (which due to the topography of the site could not be seen in its entirety either) appears to have retained all of its long row of windows, though at least one is now louvered. To the far right of the S elevation (just left of the engine house extension) there is a narrow, turret-like semicircular projection in brick with a conical roof, with a further similar projection to the left hand side [?both of which originally housed toilets.]

The roof of the mill is gabled with a large rectangular rendered [?]tank situated to the W end. The roof is covered in slate with a long row of roof lights to the ridge. Cream brick eaves course. Cast iron rw goods.

The engine house extension is in brick with its hipped roof slated. To its E elevation there is a large upper level doorway (which must originally have been accessed by an outside stair) with panelled and glazed double door and ‘spoked’ semicircular fanlight. To either side of this doorway there is a single semicircular headed window with mullioned and transomed timber frame. There is a similar window to the upper level of the narrow S elevation.

Due to the closeness of the river to the S of the mill and the presence of a high boundary wall, little could be seen of the former mechanics’ workshop other than a very oblique view of its S elevation which is in brick with a long row of small windows. The roof appears to be gabled.

Blocks 1b & 6
The ground floor level of block 1b is largely obscured by the untidy assemblage of engine related structures (silo-like tanks, the chimney, pipes etc.) mentioned above and the large sprawling 1980s extension which wraps around much the right hand side of this elevation. A small portion of the left hand side of the ground floor is still exposed and here there are two small crudely fashioned openings- one taken up with an extractor fan.

To the first floor, five windows to the centre and right are still fully exposed whilst those to the left are obscured by the roof of the large extension. To the second floor there are eight windows. The three windows to the right on both first and second floors are closely grouped together, have flat arch heads as opposed to segmental, and are separated from the rest of the windows by a line of brick ‘quoins’, suggesting that this block was built in two stages. Evidence to the S elevation and roof suggests this also.

The E gable is only exposed from the first floor upwards. To both first and second floors there are four windows, much as before (segmental heads), with a further window set at loft level. The apex of the gable is constructed in brick as opposed to rubble.

To the left on the ground floor of the S elevation there is a group of three very large semicircular headed windows with mullioned and transomed frames. The central window incorporates a large panelled and glazed pedestrian double door. To the right of this are five windows, much as gable. One of these windows is now blocked. To the first and second floors there are sight windows each, the three to left on each floor with flat arch heads as opposed to segmental.

The gabled roof of this block appears to be largely slated with several small cast iron skylights. Cast iron rw goods.

The large extension to the east end of block 1b (Block 6) is in plain cement render with a very shallow gabled roof with an uneven pitch (and covered in corrugated iron). It has various openings with most of the windows made to resemble those of the original building (similar size, segmental heads, in-out dressings etc.).

The complex is enclosed to the S and E by a high rendered wall on the other side of which is the River Cusher. The proximity of the river and the fact that its opposite (southern) bank is tree-lined makes it almost impossible to get a view of the complex from this direction.

Historical information

The valuation records tell us that the earliest section(s) of this mill was built some time between 1863 and 1870 by the ‘Tandragee Spinning Mill Company’. In c.1872 the mill was bought over by Thomas Sinton who had established a mill at Laurel Vale in the 1850s. According to the valuers Sinton enlarged the Tandragee premises shortly after taking control, the rise in the valuation during the years 1874 and 1875 suggesting that much of the building work was carried out around this time. In 1882 a ‘new store and manager’s house’ were added. A small drawing of the complex (printed in Bassett’s 1888 ‘Book of County Armagh’ shows the complex much as today, Bassett telling us that the mill spun ‘for the heavy end of the trade’, employing ‘about 600 people, chiefly females’.

Little appears to have been added to the mill after c.1888, a plan in a valuation office notebook dating from 1922 showing all the buildings we see today, bar the additions of the 1980s (blocks 6 and 8 and the extensions to blocks 5, 9 and 10).

The mill ceased large scale production in 1996 and finally closed in early 2002.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12B/11/5a-g Annual valuation revision books, Tandragee RD, 1863-1931
2 George Henry Bassett, ‘The book of County Armagh’ Dublin, 1888, pp.228-29
3 PRONI VAL/12A/2/51 (pp.86-87) Valuation office notebook, Tandragee [The entry concerning the mill dates from 1922.]
4 Information supplied by present owner

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Relatively small and compact flax spinning mill complex built between c.1865 and c.1882 in a combination of rubble, brick and render and consisting of a three storey mill and related two and single storey buildings arranged around a courtyard. This is a good and largely intact example of a later 19th century mill.