Charley's Bleachworks

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This block is situated along the northern boundary of the Seymour Industrial Estate, just above the left bank of the River Lagan. It comprises an 18th century three-storey bleachworks (building 1) with later 19th century two-storey over basement addition (building 2), both now partly used as stores.

Building 1
This building is aligned north-south at the south end of the block. It has a hipped natural slate roof, with four modern skylights to its west pitch. Replacement half-round fibre-cement gutters and down pipes. The walls are of random sandstone and basalt rubble, with stepped sandstone block quoins. The two upper floors incorporate much brick between their window openings and there is a projecting brick eaves course over. All the openings have segmental brick heads and stone jambs.

he principal elevation faces east and has 10 symmetrically arranged window openings to its upper two floors. This side has an advanced rubble base course. A window set within a gabled section projects from the centre of the ground floor and is flanked by three windows to each side, none with cills. The first floor window openings retain their original segmental brick heads, but the frames are 2x2-paned top-opening timber casement replacements and the cills are of concrete. The second floor window openings are directly over those on the first floor. Alternate opes have been infilled with brick and the open ones are sheeted over with transparent corrugated plastic; none of them have cills There is a small brick gable to the centre of the eaves on this elevation, with dentillated brick verge. Its apex formerly contained a clock, long gone.

The south elevation is devoid of openings and is now covered in ivy.

The west elevation has 10 regularly spaced window openings to its two upper floors. There is a doorway and four windows, all infilled, to the ground floor. At centre, between the ground and first floors, is an infilled rectangular opening which was originally the headrace intake to the internal waterwheel. The first and second floor window openings are detailed as those on the east elevation.

The north gable is abutted by the later 19th century addition, with a raised verge separating their rooflines.

Windows: 2x2-paned top-opening timber casement replacements (where present)
Doors: None survive
RWG Half-round and cement-fibre replacements
Roof: Natural slate

Building 2
This section is of L plan, returning to the west at the north end of the block. It comprises two floors over a semi-basement and rises to the same height as the 18th C building. It has a hipped natural slate roof with two brick chimneys towards its north-west end (one along the north eaves). Half-round plastic gutters and fibre-cement down pipes. Walls are of rock-faced quarried random rubble basalt with machined brick quoins and dentillated projecting brick eaves. The openings in all the elevations of this section are contained within recessed panels rising through all floors. These recesses are embellished with brick quoins and segmental brick heads. The openings themselves also have segmental brick heads.

The east elevation has five vertical recesses, but there are no openings in the basement, here exposed. The end panels have single window openings and the middle three have paired window openings, all with sandstone cills (shared by the paired windows) and now sheeted over with transparent corrugated plastic.

The north elevation is cut into the slope such that only the upper two floors are visible at the right-hand end. It has five vertical recesses, three with single window openings to each of the upper floors, one with a pair of windows and one with triple windows. The windows are 2/2 timber sliding sashes, all with sandstone cills (shared in the case of the multiple windows). Perspex security sheeting has been attached to the front of the windows.
The west gable is canted and has a recess to each cant. Two of the ground floor openings (a window and doorway) are infilled but the right-hand cant has a pair of steel-sheeted doors with segmental-headed overlight. There are 2/2 sashes to each of the cants at first floor level.

The south elevation has three recessed panels with window openings to their ground and first floors; all are infilled save for two of the first floor opens which retain their 2/2 sashes. The west elevation (left of the 18th C building) has two recessed panels at left with infilled openings to the ground floor. The top left opening is sheeted over with plastic and a roller shutter and concrete head have been inserted into the top right opening. At right on this elevation is a wide brick-trimmed segmental-headed doorway with beaded tongue-and-groove folding door. Above it is a brick-infilled window.

In the corner of the south and west elevations, a square tower rises above the eaves line. It has a pyramidal natural slate roof. Its walls eaves and brick dressings are detailed as the main building. Its exposed west and south elevations have semicircular headed brick-trimmed recesses with semicircular window opening at top (now sheeted over). The lower openings have all been altered with the insertion of later timber casement windows with shared concrete heads and cills. The west side of this tower is abutted to its ground floor by a single-storey porch which was the principal entrance to this building. It has a flat concrete roof with dwarf blocking course around. Its walls are of brick rendered with cement. Its left cheek contains a two-leaf two-panelled timber door, and its south cheek an infilled window.

Windows: 4/4 timber sliding sashes
Doors: Panelled and sheeted timber (where surviving)
RWG: Half-round plastic and cement-fibre replacements
Roof: Natural slate

Setting
South-east of this block is a one- and two-storey range of brick and basalt buildings ranging in date from the 18th century to mid 20th century. All have been extensively altered to accommodate a variety of modern industrial uses.
Immediately west of the block are two large concrete and steel furniture stores, erected in the recent past.

Historical information

This bleachworks was extant by the 1760s, a map of 1768 depicting it as belonging to a Mr Johnson. A more detailed map of 1788 shows two buildings which form the nucleus of today's site, one of which may be (building 1). In 1822 the works were purchased from Robert Allen Johnston by William Charley who already owned Mossvale Bleachworks, a short distance across the River Lagan in Co Down. His brother John was taken into partnership in 1824, and the firm of J & W Charley and Company was established. The Charleys invested over £4000 in the refurbishment of the site. The 1835 first Valuation records a three storey bleach mill, two two storey boiling houses and a one storey souring house on the site; the nearby Seymour Hill House was also occupied by William Charley at this time.

By 1837 the site was reputedly one of the best in Co Antrim, with upwards of 25,000 pieces of linen being processed annually. Two waterwheels were in use, and most of the machinery was apparently of cast iron. William Charley retired in 1836, and was succeeded in the partnership by his son John. The latter died in 1843, and his uncle in 1844, whereupon the firm passed to William’s son, also a William. Bassett, writing in 1888, regarded William as "one of the best Irish authorities on the cultivation and manufacture of flax". He also notes him as having spent some £20,000 on machinery, buildings, and worker's houses at Mossvale and Kilmakee.

Although the 1858 OS six-inch map depicts a site plan broadly similar to that shown on the 1832-33 map, the 1861 second Valuation notes a number of technical advances, notably two steam engines (of 4hp and 12hp) which supplemented the two waterwheels (each 16ft diameter). Machinery included a calender (for ironing cloth) and stetner (for stretching it), 8 beetling engines (each 10ft 6in long), 10ft of washers, 6 rinsers and two mangles. Whether William Charley, with his £20,000 investment, was responsible for the installation of the steam engines is uncertain. However, a comparison of 1901 and 1858 OS maps shows there to have been a substantial enlargement of the premises in the later 1800s, and it was possibly these to which Bassett alludes.

There appears to have been at least two phases of building construction between 1861 and 1896. The first involved an enlargement of the block south-east of the one under review. The second phase saw the addition of (building 2) to the north end of (building 1), probably in the 1870s, when the linen industry was at a peak because of the American Civil War (and ensuing scarcity of cotton for the Lancashire mills). William Charley died in 1890, and was succeeded by his sons Edward, Arthur and Harold Charley. In 1914, a 15hp Gordon turbine was installed; this was probably at the lower block, rather than the one under review. The premises eventually became part of the Barbour linen thread empire and ceased operations around 1964. The complex was subsequently sub divided into small industrial units, and new industrial sheds erected to the north east of the block.

References – Primary sources:
1. PRONI T/1763/8, ‘A Plan of part of the River Lagan and the intended Navigable Canal from Lough Neagh to Belfast', by Robert Whitworth, 1768.
2. PRONI D/1062/22/4, ‘Map of Co Antrim’ by John Lendrick, 1780.
3. PRONI D/2242/6/18, 'A Map and Survey of the Lands of Seymour Hill, Cogry and Kilbride belonging to Robert Johnston Esq', by Daniel Mullan, 1788.
4. PRONI OS 6/1/64/1, First edition OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 64 (1832 33).
5. PRONI VAL/1B/125, p.56. First Valuation book (1835).
6. PRONI OS 6/1/64/2 Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 64 (1858).
7. PRONI VAL/2B/1/19A, p.37. Second Valuation book (1861).
8. PRONI D/2242/7/2, Site plan by Guardian Assurance Company, 1896.
9. PRONI OS/6/1/64/3, Third edition OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 64 (1901).
10. PRONI D/2242/7/18, Late 19th century photograph by Drummond.
11. PRONI VAL/12B/8/21, p.45. Valuation revision book entry, 1891.

References – Secondary sources:
1. Green, E.R.R. The Lagan Valley 1800 1850 (London: Faber and Faber, 1949).
2. Bassett, G.H. The Book of Antrim, p.150 (1888; reprinted as ‘County Antrim 100 Years Ago’ by Friar's Bush Press, Belfast, 1989).
3. Gribbon, H.D. A History of Water Power in Ulster, p.242 (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1969).
4. Rankin, K. The Linen Houses of the Lagan Valley, pp 140-143 (Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A three-storey former bleching mill, constructed c. 1760 with two-storey addition added c1788. Situated near the banks of the Derryaghy River, the building sits within Seymour Hill industrial estate south of Dunmurry. Displaying proportions and detailing typical of Industrial architecture of its era. The three storey milil building is of particular note on account of its imposing symmetrical facades and pediment eaves found on the main façade. The latter two-storey edition is reflective of the rapid expansion of Ulster's linen industry during the second half of the 19th century, and retains much of its original character. The Mill buildings have group value with the nearby Seymour House (HB19/19/001), the home of the Charley family (the mill's owner) and is a characteristic feature of many 18th and early 19th century industrial premises. The former bleachworks is considered to be of historical significance, being one of the few surviving remnants of 18th century bleaching to survive in the Lagan Valley, once the heartland of the industrialisation of the Province's linen industry.