Belfast Roof Truss Buildings at Hilden Mill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This record is prepared as part of the Belfast Truss Roof Survey. Buildings in this report form part of the Barbour Threads Mill complex, the whole of which is recorded under ref HB19/13/013.

The mill is a large sprawling, mainly brick-built, complex located on the eastern edge of the village of Hilden. It straddles a bend in River Lagan with the most of the buildings to the western side of the river. To the immediate east a wide canal (the Lagan Navigation) branches off and runs parallel to the river thus the eastern portion of the site is located on a ‘river island’. The mill itself was established in 1823, but the present complex dates largely from c.1850-c.1910. Although there are a number of large ‘formally’ planned buildings, much of the complex we see today grew organically, responding to the various ad-hoc commercial opportunities in the mid to later 1800s in the manner of many other such local mills. Adjacent to the northern site boundary were terraces of mill workers' houses and a primary school. The houses were recently demolished.

The earliest sections of the mill lie to the northern end of the site, and consist of a large roughly U-shaped conglomeration of 4-5 and a half-storey blocks grouped around a large single-storey northlight section. To the south of this are various single, two and four-storey buildings, informally grouped, with the two largest multi-storey blocks set at right-angles. Some of the buildings to the southern side of the site appear to have begun life as free-standing structures but subsequent additions have resulted in the sprawling amorphous mass. There are a number of free-standing, mainly two-storey buildings western side of the site, some later 19th to early 20th century, but with late 20th century additions / alterations. Broadly speaking, administrative and ancillary buildings are set to the western side of the site while those which housed thread manufacture and storage are located the eastern side of the site and on the island.

Some of the structures which were added to the site in the latter decades of the 19th century and the early 1900s have Belfast Truss roofs. These buildings vary widely in appearance and scale, ranging from one to five-storey in height; their uses are also appear to have been varied, seemingly containing manufacturing, storage and administrative functions and even, what appears to be, a water treatment plant. The accurate dating of each building is difficult. Most are shown on the OS maps of 1903-04 and would appear to have been constructed post c.1880. [See Historicial Information below.]

Building 1
This former two-storey administration block is set close to the main vehicular access at the northern side of the site. It is shown on the OS map of 1903. A bay to the eastern side along with an addition to the south side have both been removed resulting is an almost rectangular footprint. To the east side of the north facade there is a shallow two-storey flat-roofed bay; to the west side of this there is a single-storey lean-to entrance porch.

Walls are constructed mainly in plain red clay facing brick; the projecting two-storey bay is topped with polychrome brick banding. The east gable wall was reconstructed with modern metal cladding. Part of the west wall incorporates various stone panels suggesting that this building may have been an extension to an older structure. Window openings are segmental-headed; some timber sash frames have been retained; there are various other replacement frames. Fenestration is regular with evenly spaced openings. The eaves and verges have painted timber fascias and the roof covering is felt.

Building 2
This former two-storey administration block is set to the northern side of the site, close to the main vehicular access. It is also first shown of the 1903 OS map. A later two-storey flat-roofed addition is set on the western side while to the east side there is a single-storey lean-to roofed portion.

The original central section is covered with a barrel-vaulted Belfast trussed roof. Eaves and fascias are painted timber. Walls to this area are formed in random rubble. Window openings are various and include flat and segmental heads. Frames are timber and mainly sash. Fenestration is manly regular with evenly spaced openings.

Building 3
This is a long two-storey block which is first shown on the OS map of 1904; it is set on the river island and fronts on to both the river and the canal. The roof is predominantly a double pile pitched roof but there is a section of 'Belfast Roof' to the south and a small single storey, felt covered extension on the south gable. Walls are mainly plain red clay brick. Window openings are segmental-headed; frames are mainly sash. Eaves are timber.

Building 4
This is a typically plain four-storey mill building with projecting stair tower and segmental-headed window openings. It is located at the north-eastern side of the site overlooking a large weir in the river and first appears on the 1903 map. It is an addition to one of the large 4-storey mill ranges forming the large conglomeration at the northern end of the site. It is mostly constructed in plain red clay brick and the north elevation is of rendered basalt rubble.

Building 5
This is located at the southern side of the site. It is river-fronted and roughly rectangular in plan. The building is part single, part two, and part three-storey. It may have been constructed in stages, but is shown in its entirety on the 1903 map. The single storey section is divided equally into three sections, the last section of which has collapsed. There is a 'Belfast Roof' on the building. Walls are mainly plain red clay brick. Window openings are segmental-headed, some have been bricked up; frames are timber and mainly multi-paned fixed lights. Gables rise to parapets and eaves are formed in timber.

Building 6
This is an open porch structure attached to the eastern end of a two-storey building on the southern end of the site. The entire area is now filled with metal trolleys; only long-range views of the trusses could be gained. As far as could be discerned, the trusses have ‘right-angle’ bracing which would suggest that these are McTear-style. Oddly, this porch does not appear on any pre

Building 7
This is a small single-storey detached timber building. Attached to the southern gable is a later single-storey single-storey building; this is metal clad and has a pitched roof. It is set to the most southern portion of the site. It sits at the head of a small branch canal. Walls are faced with vertical timber boarding. Fascias and barges are timber. Window openings are flat-headed and have been boarded over.

Building 8
This is a two-storey building set to the south side of the site, adjacent to the west side of the river. Attached to the west side is a two-storey flat-roofed building. Abutting the south gable is Building 5. It is brick faced. Openings are segmental-headed. Window frames are milti-paned timber.

Historical information

General history of the site
This mill complex was founded in 1823 by William Barbour (1795-1875), on the site of what had been a bleach green established by Samuel De La Cherois, one of the Huguenots responsible for the development of linen industry within the hinterland of Lisburn in the early 1700s. William was the son of John Barbour Snr. (1755-1823), who had moved from Paisley to Lisburn in c.1784 and constructed a ‘thread manufactory’ at the area known as The Plantation in Ballymullan townland, almost 2km south of this site [see HB19/09/028]. The Plantation works passed into the hands of William and his elder brother John on the death of their father, but, according to historian Kathleen Rankin, whilst ‘William had wider ambitions in the way of twisting thread by power-driven machinery', John Jnr. was content to continue with more conservative methods they had been using, prompting the former to form his separate enterprise. Following the untimely death of his brother in 1831, however, William purchased the goodwill and assets of the old concern and transferred all operations to the new factory at Hilden, where he had also built himself a new dwelling, ‘Hilden House’, a ‘very commodious square building.’ [HB19/17/014]

The house and various structures belonging to the mill are shown, but not marked, on the OS map of 1832-33. The structures, two rectangular buildings roughly 180m off to the east of the house, with another to the south-west- have relatively modest footprints and would appear to have been added to shortly after this, for the valuation of April 1835 lists a ‘thread mill’ of 71ft x 25 x 22, ‘barn and store’ of 27 x 19 x 13, ‘drying houses’ of 43 x 21 x 26, 10½ x 21 x 10 and 23½ x 16 x 5½, ‘boiling house’ 34 x 23 x 12½, ‘dipping shed’ 23 x 17 x 9 and other ‘sheds’ of 9½ x 23 x 5, 12 x 23 x 5 and 50 x 9½ x 5. The OS Memoirs of late 1837 describe the Hilden works as ‘the most extensive thread factory in Ireland’, referring to a ‘stove house and water mill’ of 3-storeys, ‘office and yarn stores 2-storeys high’ with all other buildings 1-storey ‘and the entire building slated.’ The ‘sole purpose’ of the business, the Memoirs state, was for ‘preparing, bleaching, colouring and dyeing yarn for the various classes of thread’, and to achieve this, the water mill had ‘20 thread mills and on each mill 48 spindles for twisting thread…a double beetling engine, having 12 beetles of 74lbs each; also 2 sets of rollers, on which each of which is 4 boles for rolling yarn.’ The machinery was powered by a breast wheel of 15½ ft and produced ‘2 to 300,000 hanks of native yard annually spun into threads of every description’, with ‘300 persons of both sexes constantly employed’.

Between 1837 and the publishing of the revised OS map of 1858, the site was transformed, with the mill expanding greatly, mainly in the area between the two pre-832 buildings to (one of which may have been the original 3-storey mill) and the River Lagan, with other structures to the immediate north and a more disparate collection to the south, including, next to the river, a gasometer. To the north-west, along the south side of what is now Bridge Street, a long row of mill workers’ dwellings had been erected, the nucleus of the village of Hilden.

The second valuation of c.1860-61 presents a somewhat complicated picture as it contains many later, but undated, annotations, including a roughly sketched plan of the site. These annotations were probably added between 1861 and 1866, but it is difficult to be absolutely certain of this, and there is evidence to indicate that some (including the plan) are as late as the mid 1880s. It is clear, however, that by the early 1860s much of the large conglomeration to the north end of the site was either in place or in the process of assuming much of its present form. The massive 5-storey main mill block with its distinctive rounded stair projection was standing, albeit without its all-brick westernmost quarter, whilst the 4-storey block set parallel to this to the north appears to have been in the process of being extended and raised from 3 to 4 storeys- as its date stone would seem to confirm, with the similar sized range spanning between them to the east (running along the river bank) also being raised to the same height. Set in-between these three main blocks was a large single-storey building, with several relatively substantial 2 and 3-storey portions to the immediate west of this. These particular portions occupied the site of, and may have incorporated part, one of the pre-1832 structures. The exact dates of these various buildings are uncertain. The large 5½-storey main block (minus the aforementioned western end) was obviously built in two stages as much of its first three floors are constructed in rubble, whilst the remaining floors, the stair tower and the western end are in brick; from archive photos we know that the rubble section has a date stone of 1851, so the brick additions must be of the later 1850s or early 1860s. Similarly, the first three-storeys of the eastern and northern blocks are also rubble, suggesting these too could well be of 1851 with additions completed, as explained above, between c.1861 and c.1866. All of the building work between these dates shows that William Barbour, like many other Ulster mill owners, was expanding to cash in on the boom in line sales engendered by the cotton restrictions caused by the American Civil War.

The rateable value of the mill buildings amounted to £900 in 1862, but by 1867 this had risen to £1,160, an indication not only of the appearance of new additions in the interim, but relative prosperity of the business. By 1873 this had raised a further £200, although the valuers do not note what changes had taken place in the interim. In 1875, however, more new buildings are recorded as ‘in progress’, and ‘new additions over furnaces’ are noted in 1880, by which point the value had risen to £1,390. The 1880s witnessed what would appear to have been great changes to the complex, with a 4-storey 'flax store' (13½yds x 45- the large building on an east-west axis to the south of the chimney), single-storey 'tow store' (29½ x 13½), single-storey 'addition to dye house' (35 x 9), and a single-storey 'bobbin store' (79 x 9) all recorded as complete by 1884. Four years later, a flax store (possibly that completed in 1884) was 'raised 2 storeys' and a two-storey 'mill office' -the square 2-storey, almost house-like, stucco projection to the north-western end of the site northern 4-storey block, was also added. As a result of all of this the rateable value rose to £1,650.

According to Bassett's County Antrim directory of 1888, the firm of William Barbour & Sons was ranked as 'the largest manufacturers in the world of tailors' thread and shoemakers' thread for hand and machine sewing'. A description of the mill published in the following year states that by that the works covered an area of 34 acres, with '30,000 spindles at work spinning the threads and 8,000 twisting them' and the machinery driven by engines of 2,000 horse power consuming 200 tons of coal weekly. 'About 5,000' were employed at Hilden and at two other sites in Sprucefield and Dunmurry, and 1,200 at a branch of the firm which had been established in Paterson, New Jersey USA, by William Barbour's second son, Thomas. An illustration accompanying the latter article shows the Hilden complex viewed from the west, with the main mill grouping to the north, complete with single-storey north-light roofed section surrounded by the 4-5 storey mill blocks. To the immediate south of this a mass of single and two-storey buildings are present; most of these have now been demolished, although the tall chimney to the south-west has survived. To the south again are the two large 4-5 storey ranges (which appear to have been originally built as stores) joined at a right-angle.

In 1890-91 the western end of the main 5½-storey main mill block was added, complete with large metal water tank, with a two-storey engine house and a boiler house (the double-pile hipped roof structure next to the chimney) to the south of this. An 'office' addition of 13yds x 6 is also noted as newly-built at this time, which appears to have been 4-storeys high, although as the valuation entry is badly worn it is difficult to be certain of this.

In 1898, William Barbour's eldest son, John Doherty Barbour (1824-1901), successfully brought together the Barbour businesses in Ireland and the USA, along with a Scottish company which had been acquired, Finlayson Bousfield & Co. of St. Johnstone, to form the 'Linen Thread Co.' These were later joined by five other companies including Dunbar McMaster of Gilford and of Greenwich, New York, F.W. Hayes & Co. Ltd. of Banbridge, and Crawford Brothers of Beith, Ayrshire. This commercial expansion was reflected in the further physical expansion of the Hilden works, which on the OS maps of 1903 and 1904* is shown at much of its present extent, stretching from the 1850s-60s multi-storey blocks in the north right down to the bend in the River Lagan in the south, with the buildings snaking along the bank of the river itself. On the eastern side of the Lagan, on the long narrow piece of land between the river itself and the canal further to the east, most of the present lengthy collection of mainly single-storey structures had been constructed. Unfortunately the valuation book covering the years 1891 to c.1913 has been lost, so we have no documentation relating of the sequence construction work during these years, however, it would appear from the a comparison of the aforementioned 1903-04 maps and a plan and detailed measurements provided in a valuers’ office notebook dating from 1916, that much of the present site is indeed was in place by the earlier of these dates. An impressive coloured illustration of the mill dating probably from shortly after 1916 confirms this, showing the works at what was arguably their zenith, a massive, largely brick-built, collection of buildings that in terms of size must have been one of the largest linen mills in Ulster- possibly the largest outside of Belfast?

The firm of William Barbour & Sons continued in thread production throughout the course of the 20th century, despite the gradual fall in demand post-1945. In 1978 the company was sold to the London-based Hanson Trust and amalgamated with the Campbell Mill at Mossley, Newtownabbey, to form Barbour Campbell Threads Ltd. This new firm continued thread production at Hilden, but the fall in orders mainly due to cheaper overseas competition lead to a steady decrease in output and the eventual closure of the mill in 2006. The site is currently undergoing development.

The Belfast Truss-roofed structures
As stated in the description, it is difficult to date the various Belfast Truss-roofed buildings with accuracy. The 1889 illustration of the mill shows 'Building 8', the large 4-storey range on the banks of the river, as well as the other similarly-roofed open shed on the western side of the site, which have since been demolished. Given the extent of development of the mill in the 1880s as charted by the valuation records, it is likely that many of the other trussed structures were constructed around this time also, but it is difficult to be certain of this.

The sites of Buildings '1'-'5' are shown developed on the OS maps of 1903-04, and the presence of Belfast Truss roofs on these structures is confirmed in the detailed survey of the mill contained within the valuers' office notebook covering the year 1916. 'Building 7', at the southern edge of the complex is also recorded in the survey, but 'Building 6', the canopy covering part of a largely enclosed yard also close to the southern edge of the complex, is not shown on any map prior to and including the OS map of 1932; however it looks earlier than this.

*Part of the complex is actually within County Down so the dates of the maps vary slightly.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL1A/1/64 OS map, Co. Antrim sheet 64, with valuation
references, 1832-33[-35]
2 PRONI VAL1B/127 First valuation, Lambeg parish, 1835
3 ‘OS Memoirs of Ireland...vol.8, eds Angelique Day and Patrick McManus (QUB, 1991), pp.138-39 (1837)
4 PRONI VAL2A/1/64B OS map, Co. Antrim sheet 64, with valuation references, 1857[-c.1861]
5 PRONI VAL2D/1/15/1 Valuation plan of Lambeg (and Hilden), c.1859 [This map shows the extent of housing within the village, but not the mills]
6 PRONI VAL2B/1/59 Second valuation, Lambeg parish, c.1860-61
7 PRONI VAL12B/8/7A Annual valuation revision book, Derryaghy ED, 1867-79
8 PRONI VAL12B/8/7B Annual valuation revision book, Derryaghy ED, 1880-91 [The volume(s) covering the years c.1891-c.1915 is missing]
9 Bassett, George Henry, ‘Book of Antrim’ (Dublin, 1888)
10 “Messrs William Barbour & Sons, Lisburn”, in 'The Pictorial World', (London, 1889), reprinted in 'Industries of the North One Hundred Years ago', (Belfast, 1986)
11 PRONI OS6/1/64/3 OS map, Co. Antrim sheet 64, 1903
12 PRONI OS8/118/1/1-3 OS map of Lambeg and Hilden, 1903
13 PRONI OS/6/2/8/3 OS map, Co. Down sheet 8, 1904
14 PRONI VAL12E/39/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Hilden (based on OS map), 1907[-35]
15 PRONI VAL12B/8/2F Annual valuation revision, Derryaghy ED, 1913-22
16 PRONI VAL12A/4/104 p.17 Valuers' office notebook, Lisburn Rural ED, 1916-22 (1916 entry)
17 PRONI VAL12B/8/2G Annual valuation revision, Derryaghy ED, 1923-29
18 PRONI OS6/1/64/4 OS map, Co. Antrim sheet 64, 1925
19 PRONI OS6/1/64/5 OS map, Co. Antrim sheet 64, 1932
20 PRONI VAL3G/25/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Lambeg and Hilden (based on OS map), 1935-53
21 PRONI VAL3C/1/27 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Lisburn Rural ED, 1936-57
22 PRONI VAL4B/1/52 Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Lisburn Rural ED, 1957-72

Secondary sources
1 Rankin, Kathleen, ‘Linen Houses of the Lagan Valley...’ (Belfast, 2002), pp.40-48 etc.
2 Watson, Frederick Gilbert, ‘All Around Lambeg...’, (Newtownards, 2008), pp.203-19

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

In the late 19th and early 20th century, Belfast Truss roofs were a common component of many industrial, commercial and agricultural buildings throughout Ulster and elsewhere, but, due mainly to the nature of their construction, many have been replaced with more durable roofs, whilst others have been lost due to the demolition of entire buildings. They are an important part of local civil engineering heritage, made even more valuable by their increasing scarcity. This mill, which is listed in part, has a number of these buildings within the mill complex. These were considered interesting as a group but it was decided that they did not merit protection by listing.
Building 1
This is an amalgamation of buildings of different dates and styles and has been modernised internally to provide offices. Although it does not have a 'Befast Roof', in part, the buidling as a whole was not considered to be of special historic merit.
Buidling 2
This building is also an amalgamation of buildings of different dates and styles and like building 1, it has a 'Belfast Roof' over one of these sections. The decorative canopy on the north elevation is listed. It was considered that the building, although interesting, does not merit any further protection by listing.
Building 3
This building is a typical late 19th century/early 20th century two-storey brick industrial building. Although it has a 'Belfast Roof' on its south section and is of some historic interest, the enire building is in very poor condition and it was considered that it did not meet the criteria for listing.
Building 4
This four-storey return on one of the listed mill structures has a gable, part brick, part rendered basalt rubble, where it was originally abutted with another three-storey building, now demolished. The building has a 'Belfast Roof', but is generally in poor condition. It was considered that the building was not of sufficient historic merit to extend the listing protection to include it.
Building 5
This building has a 'Belfast Roof', which has partly collapsed. It was considered that its condition was too poor to merit listing.
Building 6
This open porch with bowstring trusses was in poor condition and attached to a non-listed buiding. It was therefore considered that it did not meet the criteria for listing.
Building 7
This building, although of some interest as a piece of 20th century industrial heritage, was not considered to be of special historic or architectural significance.
Building 8
This building has a 'Belfast Roof' and although it is of interest, as it is in poor condition and is abutted to other non-listed structures, it was considered not suitable for protection by listing.