1B Upper Edward Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey/ 24-bay, and 4 bays deep, industrial building fronting the north side of Upper Edward St.

Flat reinforced concrete roof with shallow coped parapet around. Walls of random rubble granite, snecked and brought to courses. Stepped quoins and parapet copings are of finely dressed granite blocks. Unless otherwise stated, all openings have stepped red brick jambs and shallow segmental brick heads.

The principal façade, which faces south, is 24 openings wide (each corresponding to an internal bay). The wall is heightened slightly on the first two bays at left. There are five doors, all in original openings, as follows to ground floor (as measured from left):

- In third bay is a painted metal sliding door with small brick trimmed opening over (now infilled) to light half-landing of internal stairway. Jambs partly rendered in cement.
- In fifth bay is a painted plywood door with infilled transom light. Cement rendered surround. May have originally been a window. Leads to ground floor only.
- Filling seventh and eighth bays is a modern roller shutter door. Concrete head seemingly original.
- In thirteenth bay is a metal-sheeted door leading to stairway to first floor. Small light over to stairwell half-landing now obscured by modern sign.
- As door 3 in fourteenth and fifteenth bays.

The remaining openings are timber-framed windows, all with painted granite cills and externally fitted with modern metal grilles; there are also older security bars fitted internally. Most windows have eight panes (2x4), the four upper ones opening; in some cases the top section has been replaced with a two-paned opener. All the first floor openings contain windows identical to and in line with those at ground floor (but with unpainted cills).

Across the frontage are two strips of metal to which a fascia board was formerly attached. Electric street lights are cantilevered from the wall head between bays two and three, and between bays 13 and 14. As already noted, there is a metal sign over the door on bay 13, and a projecting sign above and to its right. At extreme bottom right is an Ordnance Survey benchmark.

The right gable is four openings wide (two per internal bay). There are four windows to ground floor (with unpainted cills). At first floor right is a painted sheeted double-leaf loading door, with rendered jambs and head. To the left of the door are three windows in line with those below. All the windows are as front façade. Between the heads of the middle two window is a brick-trimmed circular window. Most of the parapet coping has disappeared on this side. A circular plastic/ metal rainwater pipe runs down the wall immediately to the left of this opening.

The rear façade is abutted from much of its length at left (as viewed from back) by a one-storey extension. A brick stairwell on the sixth bay from the left is enveloped by this extension. At first floor there is a loading door approximately central, and a second near right-hand end. There are metal wall washers between the first floor window heads. Those sections of wall which are not abutted have windows as front. The extension has a monopitch roof on its left section, and flat roof to right. Walls are cement rendered without openings.

The left gable is abutted by a single-storey extension. There are four windows to first floor, as main façade. The extension has a corrugated asbestos-cement monopitch roof and rendered walls. Its street frontage has a painted façade with parapet, in line with the main block. Modern metal sign at first floor right.

Behind the mill is an office block, now entirely refurbished both outside and in, and of no interest.

Historical information

First cited in the 1865 valuation revision book as “spinning mill (unfinished)”, belonging to Abraham Wilson, and valued at £130. The 1872 valuation entry notes that the building contract was for £1700, with £200 worth of extras. It then contained 20 ‘old’ spinning frames and 8 ‘new’ frames. The entry also notes “one storey added to the building”. Although its valuation only increases by £9 during this year, it is raised to £212 in 1875 – this may reflect the completion of the additional storey. The 1873 valuation map, which captions the site as “flax spinning factory”, shows a long range of buildings bounding the north and east sides of the premises and a chimney on the west side, all now gone. This indicates that the mill was steam powered.

By 1887, the building work appears to have been completed (according to the valuation book), and the valuation increases from £212 to £270. An additional (office) block in the yard behind the actual mill is also shown on the valuation map at this time. The complex is described in the 1887 valuation as “hackling mill and lofts”, measuring 30yds x 13yds x 3 storeys. This suggests that only the initial processing of the scutched flax was carried on here (perhaps as far as the roving stage), rather than production of the finished yarn.

The valuation increases to £278.5s.0d in 1898, reflecting the completion of a new felt-roofed store. Although the 1903 OS map cites the complex as a “weaving mill”, it is still noted as a spinning mill in the valuation books. The complex is reduced in value to £212 in 1927, and possibly reflects the loss of the mill’s top floor.

Sources:

1. PRONI – VAL 2B/2/39B (1863 valuation);
2. VAL 12B/15/1B, p.199 (1865 valuation);
3. OS 6" map (1861/73) Co Armagh Sheet 26 (PRONI - OS 9/15/2/11);
4. VAL 12B/15/1C, p.298;
5. VAL 12B/15/1E, p.322,
6. VAL 12B/15/1G;
7. VAL 12B/22/18A, p.390;
8. VAL 12B/22/18D, p.92 (valuation revision books).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An imposing later 19th century flax spinning mill with high streetscape value and of industrial heritage interest in a local context. Its construction is typical of later 19th century steam-powered spinning mills, particularly its partly-braced jack arch ceilings.