Near 3 Ballooleymore Rd

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The complex comprises a water-powered corn mill alongside the road, with a kiln slightly higher up the slope behind it.

Mill

A two-storey/two-bay building aligned east-west along the north side of the public road. Roof now missing, but formerly pitched and slated. Walls of random rubble blackstone with a high admixture of rounded fieldstones relative to quarried stone; roughly-dressed quoins (mostly granite, but some blackstone), and brick eaves course. No rainwater goods.
Principal elevation faces south directly on to the road. Its left half is abutted by a two-storey annex, to the right of which is a doorway with three-centred brick arch head into the west bay. To its right is a small a square-headed window which lights the east bay; the cement-rich mortar around it suggests a later insertion. Right again is a brick-trimmed segmental-headed doorway, also into the east bay. At the right-hand end of this elevation is a stone-infilled doorway with a three-centred brick head. At first floor level, there are two windows to the east bay. Both have segmental brick heads but have been infilled with rubble masonry.
West gable has an external overshot waterwheel measuring 14ft diameter by 4ft wide. Of cast iron except for its buckets (36no) and soleplate, both of which were of timber (long decayed). No traces of the headrace survive. The tailrace is partly infilled and culverted under the road back to the stream which supplied the headrace. Above the wheel is a segmental brick-headed window opening to the first floor. Comparison with the wheel’s dimensions in the 1835 Valuation, this is a later addition, probably inserted when the premises were being upgraded in the mid-1800s.
The north elevation is partly cut into the slope such that the first floor of the west bay is accessible through a doorway from outside ground level; its jambs are of brick; head missing. There is also a doorway at ground level to the east bay; it has a flat timber head and brick jambs. Directly above it is a first floor window (brick jambs but head missing).
The east gable has a small window towards the right-hand end of the ground floor (flat stone head). Just left of centre, three very large granite blocks are set flush into the wall, one above the other; whether they were simply wall fill, or served some other purpose, is uncertain. At first floor level are two segmental brick arched windows, both infilled with rubble. There is also a small window in the apex of the gable (flat stone head).

Mill annex

A small two-storey, single-bay building at left end of the mill’s south elevation. Wall breaks with the mill show it to be a later addition.
Monopitched roof now missing, but formerly slated. No rainwater goods. Random rubble walls with granite and brick quoins. All openings have flat granite heads and brick jambs. Stone-infilled window on south elevation and window at first floor level on west gable. On east gable is a doorway at each floor level.

Kiln

A three-stage/single-bay kiln aligned north-south just north of the mill. Roof is now missing, but formerly of pitched profile. No rainwater goods. Walls of random rubble with roughly dressed quoins. In contrast to the mill, there is a high admixture of tabular Silurian stone in their construction. All openings have flat granite lintels and the windows have brick jambs with thin stone cills.
The apex of the south elevation has collapsed and there are no openings in what survives. On the west elevation, doorway at ground level and a window to the top stage. On the north elevation, there is a doorway through to a small single-storey, single-bay abutting room, only vestiges of which survive. On the east elevation, there is a doorway at ground level and two windows to the top stage.

Setting

The complex is situated at the bottom of a steep south-facing slope. A public road runs across the south side of the mill, with the kiln situated higher up the bank behind it. Fields to all sides.

Roof: Missing
Rainwater goods: None
Walls: stone
Windows: Missing

Historical information

The mill complex is cited as “flour and corn mills” on the 1833 OS six-inch map. The 1835 Valuation book notes the owner as Samuel Russell. The dimensions of the mill – recorded as a “corn mill and flour mill” - are given as 43½ft long x 20ft deep by 18ft high. The kiln measured 40ft x 19½ft x 12ft. It was also noted that the “wheels [are] not very good; large wheels and great fall”. A flax mill, further down the road to the west also belonged to Mr Russell.
The fact that a corn mill and a flour mill are both cited and ‘wheels’ is plural would suggest that that the milling of oats (into oatmeal) and wheat (into flour) were each powered by a separate waterwheel even though both were under the one roof. However, the Ordnance Survey Memoir for this townland only refers to a single corn mill with two pairs of stones powered off a 13ft x 2ft 6in diameter overshot waterwheel. The machinery was of wood and iron.
The 1859 OS map also captions the complex as ‘flour and corn mills”. According to the 1861 Valuation, it was still being operated by Samuel Russell. The dimensions of the flour and corn mill are given as 14yds x 7yds x 1 storey, and the kiln as 12yds x 6yds x 1 storey (note that the buildings should both probably have been recorded as two storeys, not one). At that time, the mill contained two pairs of stones powered off an overshot wheel which had water for about eight months in the year.
The Valuation revision books note James Russell as taking over around 1874. The premises are cited as “Balloolymore Mill (corn)”on both the 1903 and 1918 OS maps. Andrew G. Russell took over from James in 1922 and was succeeded by Samuel Porter in 1924.
By now, the mill was only working occasionally. The Valuation book entry for 1928 notes that the premises were “rather dilapidated; used occasionally as stores; water power used very seldom for crushing oats only”. The site’s rateable valuation was reduced from £12 to £5 as a consequence of this inactivity. The dimensions of the mill are given as 43ft x 20ft x 17ft, and an annex on its S elevation as 18ft x 13ft x 14ft. The kiln measured 36ft x 20ft x 20ft. Comparison of these dimensions with those of 1859 indicates that the mill and kiln were as before, but a small annex had been added to the former.
The mill had probably stopped entirely by 1935 as it is not cited in the Valuation book of that date.
In terms of the site’s development, analysis of the Valuation statistics and map depictions suggests that the existing mill was also extant in the 1830s; it probably dates from the later 1700s or early 1800s. The adjoining kiln was built in its present position sometime between 1835 and 1859. The annex on the side of the mill is also a later addition. The concrete plinth inside the annex and gearing are probably associated with a grain crusher and of 20th century date. The present waterwheel measures 14ft x 4ft. Comparison with the wheel’s dimensions in the 1835 Valuation, indicates that the present one is a later replacement, probably inserted when the premises was upgraded in the mid-1800s.

References – Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/3/34/1. First edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 34 (1833).
2. PRONI VAL/1B/36. First Valuation book, p.83, entry 5 (1835).
3. Ordnance Survey Memoir, Garvaghy Parish (1836-37). Reprinted as Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, volume 12: Parishes of County Down III, edited by A. Day and P. McWilliams (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1992).
4. PRONI OS/6/3/34/2. Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 34 (1859).
5. PRONI VAL/2B/3/52. Second Valuation book, page 43, entry 22 (1861).
6. PRONI VAL/12B/16/3/A. Valuation revision book, p.23 (1864-1929).
7. PRONI OS/6/3/34/3. Third edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 34 (1902-03).
8. PRONI OS/6/3/34/4. Fourth edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 34 (1903-18).
9. PRONI VAL/12B/16/3/E. Valuation revision book, p.15 (1909-29).
10. PRONI VAL/12A/3/11. Valuation note book (1924-34).
11. PRONI VAL/3/B/4/1. Valuation note book (1935).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two-storey, two-bay early 19th century water-powered grain mill with detached mid 19th century kiln, all in random rubble masonry and both now derelict. The different compositions of the stonework in the mill and kiln illustrate the fact that the site developed over at least two phases, whilst the infilled openings on the mill’s façade reflect its refurbishment, probably in the mid 1800s. The presence of the waterwheel and vestiges of shafts and gears are also of note. Unfortunately the interest of the complex has been compromised by its ruinous state to such an extent that it is not of special architectural or historical merit.

General comments

This complex is incorrectly marked on the NIEA Map Viewer.