Flax mill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The complex of buildings comprises the flax mill and associated engine/boiler house, flax store and chimney.

Flax mill

This two-storey, single-bay building is aligned NE-SW at the W end of the site.
Replacement corrugated metal roof with metal rainwater goods. Cement-rendered random rubble and brick walls. Square-headed openings with shallow concrete cills to windows.
Principal elevation faces NW. Two doors to GF and three windows to FF.
NE gable is blank. A concrete buttress has been added for stability.
SE elevation has two doors to GF and two windows to FF. Abutted for most of its length by a modern single-storey annex.
SW gable abutted by engine/boiler house, with GF doorway in party wall.

Engine/boiler house

This two-storey, single-bay building abuts the SW gable of the mill and runs at right angles to it.
Monopitched replacement corrugated metal roof. No rainwater goods. Rendered random rubble walls. Three infilled FF windows to SW elevation, large doorway to SE gable, and FF doorway on NE elevation.

Flax store

A large detached two-storey, single-bay building aligned NW-SE at S end of mill complex.
Pitched replacement corrugated metal roof with raised cement verges. Metal rainwater goods. Unrendered random rubble walls with granite quoins.
SE gable has large sliding metal door. SW elevation is devoid of openings. NW gable was formerly abutted by a small monopitched building, now gone. NE elevation is blank save for doorway, now infilled, to GF.

Chimney

Detached chimney just beyond SW side of flax store. Square rubble granite base with dressed quoins and cornice. Infilled opening at base of NW elevation. Formerly surmounted by tapered brick flue, of which only one course now survives.

Setting:

The mill complex is accessed down a lane off McCartan’s Road and is now used for agricultural purposes. There are modern outbuildings to the immediate W and N, and the owner’s modern bungalow a short distance E. The premises are otherwise surrounded by fields.

Historical information

This steam-powered flax scutching mill is first cited in the 1872 Valuation book under the ownership of Michael McCartan (not on 1859 map). The 1901 OS map cites it as ‘flax mill’. It passed to Owen McCartan in the same year, and then successively to Richard McCartan (1914), Brendan McAnulty (1915) and Mary McAnulty (1916).

The 1913 Valuation note book describes the premises as ‘scutch mill and stores’. The mill’s dimensions are given as 73ft x 23ft x 18ft; it was driven by a 36hp engine and worked an average of six months per year; unfortunately the number of scutching stocks is not specified.

The 1919 OS map also cites it as a flax mill. It had ceased operations by 1935.

References – Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/3/43/2. Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 43 (1859).
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/15A. Valuation revision book, p.63 (1864-1878).
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/15B. Valuation revision book, p.87 (1880-94).
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/15C. Valuation revision book, p.97 (1895-1908).
5. PRONI OS/6/3/43/3. Third edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 43 (1901).
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/15D. Valuation revision book, p.33 (1909-1925).
7. PRONI VAL/12/A/3/8. Valuation note book, p.64 (1913).
8. PRONI OS/6/3/43/4. Fourth edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 43 (1919).
9. PRONI VAL/3/B/4/1. Valuation revision book (1935).
10. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/2. Valuation revision book (1936-57)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This early 1870s steam-powered scutching mill was one of many erected during the flax growing boom in Ulster as a result of the American Civil War in the 1860s. Although significant in the locale and representing the development of infrastructure in the district, insufficient fabric and detail survive to merit listing. The complex and associated houses (HB17/10/028B) are worthy of record but of a relatively late date and not of special interest.