43 Newcastle Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-storey cornmill with one-storey annex, all aligned east-west on west side of Newcastle Rd.

1. Corn mill

Three-storeys high and six openings wide. Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles and cement verges. Half round plastic gutters to front only. Walls of roughly squared granite rubble, coursed and snecked, with projecting masonry eaves course.

Principal elevation faces south to road. Five openings to ground floor. First and second from left are 2x4 metal-framed casement windows. Third from left is a metal-sheeted double-leaf sliding door with brick segmental relieving arch over. Remaining two openings are metal-sheeted single sliding doors. First floor has six regularly spaced openings. All are 2x4 metal-framed casement windows except second from left which has been elongated to form doorway. Door is metal sheeted. In front of it is a cantilevered concrete platform accessed by a flight of metal stairs falling left to corner of building. All the openings have stepped brick surrounds and heads; none of the windows have cills. Second floor also has six openings, in line with those below. Second, fourth and sixth from left are metal-sheeted loading doors in elongated window openings. The second and sixth have projecting metal brackets over with hooks for pulleys.

A one-piece granite runner stone (1.32m dia x 20-35cm thick) lies against the wall at left. There is an electric light affixed to the left corner of the building at second floor level.

Left gable is plain except for a 2x4 metal casement at first floor and at apex. Floodlight affixed to left side.

Rear elevation is obscured to ground floor by concrete wall of modern silage pit. One 2/3 metal casement towards right end of first floor and three 2x4 metal casements to second floor. All openings dressed as front façade.

Right gable abutted by one-storey annex. Exposed section blank except for a brick-infilled window opening, partly obscured by apex of annex roof.

No evidence of watercourses survives. Farm outbuildings to west and silage pit to north.

2. Annex

Roof as mill but with brick verge to exposed gable. No gutters. Walls also as mill but with projecting brick eaves course.

South elevation insteps slightly from façade of mill and slightly angled thereto. Small door at left side, now infilled with concrete blocks. To centre is a large metal-sheeted double-leaf sliding door, to right of which is a small window opening, also infilled with concrete blocks. Against right-hand side of wall is a one-piece granite runner stone (1.38m dia x 23-33cm thick).

Left gable abutted by mill and rear gable by wall of silage pit.

Right gable has a top-opening timber window in apex. Also the ghost of a smaller one-storey pitched roof building, now gone.

Historical information

Corn mill and flax mills shown on 1834 OS 6” map. Corn mill described as 43ft6in x 19ft x 8ft in 1835 valuation, and flax mill (46ft x 19ft x 8ft) was out of repair; both belonged to James Wamsley. The 1861 valuation notes the corn mill as 60ft x 27ft x three storeys, so it was evidently rebuilt in the mid 19th century. It then contained a shelling and grinding stone, and was powered by a 16ft dia x 4ft6in wide waterwheel. The flax mill was also in operation (69ft x 18ft x one storey, possibly also a rebuild) and contained six stocks and set of rollers, all powered off a 13ft x 4ft6in wheel. The valuation revision books note the complex as ‘at rest’ from 1898 onwards.

Sources:
1. PRONI – OS 6/3/56/1(OS map 6" Co Down sheet 56 1st edition 1834)
2. VAL 1B/390A, p.84 (1835 valuation)
3. VAL 2B/3/81E, p.35 (1861 valuation)
4. VAL 12B/19/14. (1898 valuation revision book)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Of local interest as a former corn mill.