Former mill complex

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A large complex comprising (1) flax scutching mill, (2) engine house, (3) saw mill and store and (4) miscellaneous related buildings to NW.

1. Scutch mill
A large single storey/ single bay building aligned NW/SE, parallel with road. Pitched corrugated asbestos roof with glazed skylights to both pitches. No rainwater goods.

Walls of original mill are of red brick (English garden wallbond). Following a fire the surviving walls were raised in concrete blockwork (nine courses).

Elevation to road (SW) is seven openings wide. Openings 5, 7, and 9 have double t+g sheeted doors and the remainder have 3x6 metal-framed windows (left two are boarded over). Reinforced concrete heads to all openings and rendered brick cills to windows. At left end, inset into concrete blockwork, is a finely dressed rectangular granite plaque reading “DAVID CROMIE & SONS/ SAW, FLAX & CORNMILLS/ DRUMLOUGH”.

Left gable (NW) has a large entrance opening, with steel sliding door rail to top (door gone). In apex is date stone reading 1944.

Rear elevation (NE) is abutted towards left end by engine shed. To the right of this shed is a small metal-sheeted door, and right again is a larger metal sliding door (now sheeted over).

Right gable is blank save for an infilled opening at left. It is abutted by the sawmill.

2. Engine shed
Single storey structure with corrugated metal monopitched roof (with skylight) and walls of concrete blockwork. Left cheek is blank. It is abutted externally by four galvanised water cylinders (formerly five) on low concrete piers and by an exhaust pipe/silencer from Gardner engine inside. Rear elevation (NE) has two windows. Abutting it at right is a two-storey concrete block shed with pitched corrugated asbestos roof. To the front are three concrete piers which formerly supported the cooling cylinders of the Blackstone engine. Right cheek of engine shed has two windows, both now sheeted over.

Left cheek of the two-storey structure is blank Rear elevation has entrance door (to engine room) at right and two top-hung windows to first floor. Its right cheek projects slightly at left. This section has a 3x3 metal casement to ground floor and a t+g loading door to first floor. The remainder of this cheek has a small 1/1 metal casement to ground floor.

3. Saw mill
This structure is aligned at right angles to the mill’s right gable. Timber framed throughout, with walls and curved roof of corrugated metal (the latter is supported on triangular rather than curved wooden trusses). Large sliding doors to SW gable (fronting road). Earth floor.

At the rear of the sawmill is a single storey/ single bay concrete block store. Pitched corrugated metal roof and various windows and doors.

4. Miscellaneous buildings to NW
Also connected with this site are several concrete block sheds to NW of scutch mill. One formerly housed an engine (of unknown purpose), the mounting block of which still survives. Another was used as a smithy.

Historical information

Erected as part of the war effort in 1944. The Cromies also had extensive mills at Tullyquilly (HB16/09/035).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Of technical interest in terms of the survival of the Gardner engine. The mill is of some historical interest in reflecting wartime boom in flax growing.