Derryleckagh Mills

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Shell of a fire-gutted dwelling, formerly an early 19th C flax spinning mill, still with waterwheel and with returns to N and NE.

1. Main block

Originally a spinning mill. Located on W side of complex, aligned N-S. Three and a half storeys high by three bays wide. Roof formerly pitched natural slate with boxed eaves. Rendered brick chimney to party wall between middle and right bay (as viewed from W) and on S gable.

Principal elevation faces to W. Walls of random granite rubble brought to courses. Left bay is two openings wide, middle bay five openings, and right bay six openings (all to upper floors). All openings have smooth cement-rendered architraves and the windows have concrete cills. Windows were 1/1 sliding sash (top panel smaller) with exposed sashes (frames now mostly gone). Left bay is internally divided into four (+ attic) floors (but same external height as rest of block). Door to G/F middle, with window flanking either side. Two windows to each of the upper floors (but not attic), in line with those to G/F. Middle bay has five regularly spaced windows to all upper floors. Second from left on G/F is a pair of windows in a shared opening. Right bay has doorway to G/F left and a second at right. Three window openings between the doors; that to right contains a pair of windows. Six regularly spaced window openings to the two floors above.

The N gable is abutted to G/F and F/F by a two-storey office block (described below). The ground rises to F/F level at left on this elevation. Exposed gable above office has a F/F window and door just left of the abutting block. The S/F and T/F each have two windows, and the attic one.

The rear (E façade of this block) is entered at F/F level (a partly covered passage runs alongthe outside of the G/F). The left bay has a door at middle and is flanked to both sides by two windows. Its basement has two windows and its S/F six windows. The middle bay is abutted by a one-storey monopitched unrendered random rubble extension, with door and window on left cheek. The right bay is wet dashed. Door at F/F right and window to left. Three windows to S/F, all enlargements of the original openings.

The S gable is cement rendered with an advanced chimney breast. Window to each side of breast on F/F, S/F and attic. Also on this gable is an external waterwheel pit containing a high breast-shot waterwheel, 6.10m in diameter by 2.18m wide (20ft x 7ft). Of cast-iron construction with 2 x 8 wooden arms and timber soleplate; 56 angled buckets (wrought sheet iron on their outer section and timber on inner section). The rim segments are inscribed ‘Newry Foundry & Engineers 1878’. Segment gear wheels were affixed to both sets of arms, but only that on the outer set now survive (formerly driving a flax mill on the opposite side as described below).

2. Office

The office has a pitched natural slate roof and a bellcote on the exposed N gable. Random rubble walls. W elevation has a small two-pane window to G/F and two 9/6 sashes to F/F (left one gone). A small gable rises from eaves, formerly containing a clock. N gable blank. E elevation is exposed to F/F only (the ground rising) and contains a door to left and window to right.

3. Return 1

The block continues left as a long return, internally divided into four bays to G/F (but open to all floors above). Its eaves height is slightly higher than the main block and it formerly had a hipped natural slate roof and attic. Its right bay (as viewed from N) is four storeys high. It has a door to G/F, a window to F/F and two windows each to S/F and T/F. The corresponding S elevation (to rear yard) has two windows to S/F and T/F only. Third bay from left has a large flat headed coachway at G/F; because of the rising ground, this is level with the F/F of the bay to its right. Two windows to each of the two floors above. S elevation of this bay has similar openings. The second bay from left has a window to G/F and two windows each to F/F and S/F. A mill race passes underneath the floor. Its S elevation has a blank S elevation and single windows to F/F and S/F. Left bay is two storeys internally (but same eaves height as bays to right). N elevation has three windows. S elevation has door (to a second return), window to G/F and two windows to F/F (= T/F of right-hand bay). Its E gable has attic floor doorway.

4. Return 2

The north return is abutted at E end of its S elevation by a three storey return (same eaves height as Return 1). It is now heavily overgrown and impossible to access. A mill race is carried in a concrete pipe across the outside of its W-facing elevation on a raised concrete wall. A branch is taken off at the SE corner of the yard to supply the waterwheel on the S gable of the main block.

5. Miscellaneous outbuildings

Just south of the spinning mill are three later buildings formerly associated with flax scutching: (1) a one storey flax mill of random rubble construction with brick quoins; (2) a two-storey brick building, probably also a scutch mill; and (3) a two-storey shed, probably a flax store. On the opposite side of the waterwheel to the spinning mill gable is a concrete mounting block, possibly for an engine drive. A metal pipe off the headrace indicates that there may once have been a small water turbine hereabouts as well.

Historical information

John Gordon established a bleachworks at Templegowran sometime during the second half of the 18th century or first decade of the 19th century. It is uncertain, however, which (if any) of the existing buildings relate to this activity. Around 1806 the present main block was erected as a dry-spinning mill for flax. The Linen Trustees are recorded as having given Gordon a 50% grant for the installation of 204 flax spindles.

Although the superior wet-spinning technique became widespread from the late 1820s onwards, it does not seem to have been adopted here. Rather, the mill was converted to flour milling, being captioned thus on the 1834 OS 6” map which shows the complex in its present form. The c.1835 First Valuation book describes the main block as being 117ft x 28ft in plan by 36ft high and was then in the ownership of Samuel Parsons, nephew of John Gordon (who died in 1833).

By the time of the Second valuation of 1861, the premises belonged to by Isaac Parsons. The mill then contained four pairs of millstones for grinding wheat and maize. However, two sets of stones were idle and some of the buildings were unoccupied.

Around 1868, the property passed to James Grant, followed by Samuel Cooper around 1877. It was probably he who was responsible for installing the present waterwheel. Flax scutching seems to have begun around 1888, although this had ceased by 1906; the small single storey rubble mill at the SW end of the complex probably relates to this phase of the site’s evolution. Precisely how long grain milling continued is uncertain, but it had ceased by 1915 when the Fibre Company Ltd took over the site and began retting and scutching. It was probably they who were responsible for the erection of the two-storey brick mill. The firm (which became the Fibre Corporation) continued flax processing into the 1920s.

By the late 1930s, all industrial activity had ceased and the mill was subsequently partly converted into living accommodation around 1940. It was gutted by fire in 1996.

The erection of this mill in 1806 makes it one of the first generation of large dry-spinning flax mills to be erected in Ulster and therefore of historical significance. Architecturally it is of a scale only matched by the large flour mills of that time. It also has some technical interest on account of its later 19th C waterwheel.

Primary sources:
1. A bleach green is cited on Williamson’s 1810 map of Co Down.
2. PRONI OS maps, 1st edition (1834), Co Down sheet 47.
3. PRONI First valuation book (c.1835), VAL 1B/ 389, p. 250.
4. PRONI OS maps, 2nd edition (1860), Co Down sheet 47.
5. PRONI Second valuation book (1861), VAL 2B/3/69A, p.63.
6. Valuation revision books, VAL 12B/22/7A-F

Secondary sources:
1. H.D. Gribbon, ‘The History of Water Power in Ulster’ (Newton Abbot, 1969), p.92.
2. E.R.R. Green, ‘The Industrial Archaeology of Co Down (Belfast, 1963), p.34.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value
Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Not listed

Evaluation

The mill was subsequently modified when it was converted to a dwelling and has recently been gutted by fire, resulting in the loss of most of the historic fabric. There is no internal machinery.