Former Drumcairne Mill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, imposing, mainly limestone-built four and a half-storey (former) spinning mill of 1863-64, the original, and now last surviving component of the Drumcairne Mill. The building is set to the west of Loughgall Road, on the northern outskirts of the City of Armagh.

The front facade faces south, south-west, but for ease of description this is referred to as south. The orientations of the other facades are similarly 'corrected'.

The mill is rectangular in plan, with slated hipped roof with regualrly spaced rooflights. The walls are constructed in limestone rubble with dressed stone quoins and brick surrounds to the openings. Attached to the north side of the building is a large, utilitarian, full width single-storey flat-roofed extension, which in its present form is late 20th century.

The front south façade is articulated with two full-height toilet towers, these are set symmetrically with one to either side. The entrance door set to the far right side of ground floor level. The opening is semi-circular headed and brick dressings. The timber panelled double doors are slightly recessed and are surmounted by a fanlight with geometric pattern. Fenestration is strictly regimented. Window openings are segmental-headed with brick dressings and cut stone sills. Window frames are metal with multiple panes and top openers. Many openings are now partially or fuly bricked up. To the left side there is a crudely conceived steel external fire escape.

The west façade is blank at ground floor. Fenestration, windows openings and frames to the upper floors are all as before. To the left side is the side of the extension; with the exception of one small door opening this façade is blank.

To the ground floor of the north facade is the facade of the extension; this has a series of large flat-headed door openings with roller shutters. Fenestration, windows openings and frames to the upper part of the façade are all as before.

Fenestration, windows openings and frames to the upper floors are all similar to before. Ground floor openings are bricked up. At first floor one opening is enlarged and was used as a loading bay; it has a projecting lifting beam.

Historical information

When the second valuation of the Armagh City area was carried out in 1863-64, the building of this spinning mill (later known as ‘Drumcairne Mill’) was ‘in progress’, three storeys having been completed. It was constructed by Jacob Orr, the son of Joseph Orr whose firm of Joseph Orr & Sons had established a linen mill at Cranagill near Loughgall in c.1840. Founded, no doubt, to cash in on the boom in linen industry created by the onset of the American Civil War, the mill appears to have been complete by the end of 1864 and seems to have originally consisted of the surviving large four-storey block as well as a smaller two-storey section which evidence suggests stood to the immediate south-west of the former.

Orr does not appear to have made a success of the business and in 1866-67 the valuers were forced to drop the rateable valuation of the property from £300 to £250, on account of it ‘not being fully worked’ with ‘only one steam engine being used’. By 1872 it was idle and in the hands of the Provincial Bank, who put it up for auction at the beginning of April that year. It was acquired by Isaac Murphy and Charles Reynolds, who had brought two engines back to work by 1875 and over the course of this and the following year added large buildings to the north-east and south-west of the original block. As a result the rateable valuation rose from £253 in 1874 to £343 in 1875, £398 by 1876 and £409 by 1880. In 1884 the mill was sold to Abraham Wilson, and a manager’s house is noted as having been added to the complex in 1884. By 1900 two long terraces of mill worker’s houses (‘Mill Row’) had been built next just north-east of the site.

In 1916 the business is recorded as in the ownership of the Armagh Spinning Company Ltd. Like many others it suffered during the Depression of the 1930s and is noted as ‘at rest’ in 1936. Passing into the hands of Hale, Martin & Co. sometime in the mid to later 1930s, it appears to have remained operational until sometime in the 1960s, by which point it had come under the control of Ulster Ring Spinners Ltd. The complex was next converted to a shoe manufactory ('Armagh Shoes') which remained in business until the mid 1980s.

In the latter decades of the 20th century much of the complex, as well as the mill workers’ houses were demolished. The yard now surrounding the original mill building is now used as commercial vehicle and machinery sales outlet.

IHR ref 00203:000:00

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/2B/2/1G Second valuation, Armagh parish, 1863-64
2 PRONI VAL12B/10/4A Annual valuation revision book, Armagh ED, 1864-73
2 PRONI VAL12B/10/4B Annual valuation revision book, Armagh ED, 1864-73
3 PRONI VAL12B/10/4C Annual valuation revision book, Armagh ED, 1873-82
4 PRONI VAL12B/10/4D Annual valuation revision book, Armagh ED, 1874-82
5 PRONI VAL12B/10/4E Annual valuation revision book, Armagh ED, 1883-93
6 PRONI VAL12B/10/4F Annual valuation revision book, Armagh ED, 1883-93
7 PRONI VAL12B/10/8A Annual valuation revision book, Armagh Rural ED, 1899-1909
8 PRONI VAL12B/10/8A Annual valuation revision book, Armagh Rural ED, 1909-20
9 PRONI VAL12B/10/8A Annual valuation revision book, Armagh Rural ED, 1920-23
5 PRONI OS6/2/12/3 OS map, Co. Armagh sheet 12, 1905-06
6 PRONI VAL12B/10/9E Annual valuation revision book, Ballyards ED, 1910-22
7 PRONI VAL12B/10/36A Annual valuation revision book, Milford ED, 1923-29
6 PRONI VAL3B/2/3 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Milford ED, 1935
7 PRONI VAL3C/2/5 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Milford ED, 1936-56
8 PRONI VAL4B/2/7 Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Milford ED, 1957-72

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Although much of this former mill complex has been cleared away the original, largest, and probably architecturally most impressive structure on the site has been retained and remains largely original both inside and out among with its imopressive red brick chimney. The mid-Victorian mill building is also one of the few large -scale pieces of industrial heritage to have survived within the Armagh vicinity, other large mills such as that at Umgola having been cleared away.