Ballywee Corn Mill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey gabled and slated stone building of rectangular plan with a central two-storey rear return, and a stone enclosure at the west end containing an iron-framed overshot wheel, originally built as a corn mill but now converted to a house. Main entrance to former mill faces south while main entrance to house now faces north and is at first floor level due to the slope of the site.

South elevation is two-storey; gabled roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; with tiled ridge; modern circular metal flue pipe to ridge; two modern flush rooflights. Walling is of basalt rubble and fieldstones, with a projecting eaves course; no rainwater goods. Elevation is asymmetrical, with 5 windows to the first floor and 7 to the ground floor; 5 to the right of a doorway and 2 to the left of it. Windows are rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 6 over 6, with horns, painted white, with exposed sash boxes painted red, set in plain recesses with red painted timber lintels and thin projecting concrete cills.
First floor window to extreme left incorporates two ventilator grilles at the base of the lower sash. Entrance is a wide rectangular ledged timber door in a recessed wooden frame with a red painted timber lintel; granite doorstep; iron latch to door.
Wide segmental relieving arch over doorway. First floor shows traces of previous rectangular openings, now blocked up; three iron tie bars.

Projecting at ground floor level from the left-hand extremity is a walled enclosure containing a mill wheel. Side facing east is of basalt rubble roughly pointed, containing a rectangular opening abutting the main building: opening incorporates a segmental red brick arch and red brick dressings, partly cement rendered.
South wall of enclosure is of basalt rubble, partly unpointed and partly rough rendered, with a crudely rendered frieze.

West gable is of similar walling, with flush verges to roof; one window, at first floor level in a segmental arch; arched timber fixed light of 16 panes; projecting concrete cill. Below window is an iron spoke with cog wheels projecting from the wall level with the top of the mill wheel.

West face of enclosure is of basalt rubble partly unpointed and partly with reticulated pointing; incorporates a flat-arched central doorway now walled up.
North face of enclosure is of basalt rubble undressed to the top.

North elevation of main building to the right of the rear return is a two-storey blank wall of basalt rubble with a projecting eaves course; metal gutter and downpipe. Wall incorporates the traces of two segmental arches with former openings now walled up. Roof slated as previous.

West elevation of rear return: two-storey, with slated roof as previous, including two modern flush rooflights; wall of basalt rubble with red brick eaves course; metal gutters with metal downpipe. Three windows to first floor timber sashed 6 over 6 with horns, in similar brick surrounds to previous with timber lintels; central one taller and breaks through eaves course set in a gabled dormer with rubble gable and slated roof. Two windows to ground floor, similar to previous except one to left is smaller, sashed 3 over 3. To right of windows is a doorway in similar surrounds, containing a modern 8-pane glazed timber door, with ironwork handle.
North gable of rear return is a blank wall of basalt rubble with slightly overhanging verges; red brick chimney at apex with projecting plain brick cornice; one red pot.
East elevation of return is single storey; roof slated as previous; wall similar to west side, with a central projecting gabled porch in red brick, containing large rectangular double doors, ledged timber with brick head on steel lintel. Metal gutters and downpipes.
One window to each side of porch, rectangular timber sliding sashes, 3 over 3, with horns, in red brick block surrounds with brick flat arches to head.

North elevation of the main block to the left of the rear return is one storey due to the slope of the site: roof slated as previous, with two modern flush rooflights; metal gutter and downpipe; wall of basalt rubble as previous with red brick eaves cornice; two windows to the left of a door, now the main entrance to the house; windows rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 2 over 2 with horns, with exposed sash boxes in similar surrounds to south elevation except red brick block dressings to jambs. Doorway contains a rectangular ledged timber half-door with small glazed panel, set in similar brick dressings to windows.
East gable of main block is a blank wall of basalt rubble, a new construction in which the line of the original gable has been moved back from the road; concrete base to new gable where ground slopes toward south corner; date '1993' is incised in a stone in the middle of the wall; cement render to verges of roof; two small ventilator grilles affixed to circular holes near top of gable.

SETTING: The building stands in a rural area in a small hamlet; front boundary formed by a basalt rubble wall with rough stone copings; main gateway comprises a pair of ironwork gates set between circular stone piers with rounded caps. Wall abuts a gabled stone building at the southern extremity, the former house for the mill, now lying derelict.
South boundary formed by a new wall of concrete blockwork, not yet rendered, with basalt stone copings on a slate course; circular piers of similar unfinished concrete blockwork with domical rubble stone caps, are mounted with a pair of original flat-iron gates; wall abuts former house to mill at eastern end and abuts old basalt rubble bridge at the western end.
Western boundary formed by the adjacent river.
Grounds contain undulating grassy areas to the river bank and main front, with a rocky area to the rear.
Adjacent to the north boundary the former mill pond, in the grounds of an adjoining house, is now filled up and forms a lawn to the adjoining house. Further to the north, also beyond the boundaries of the site, is the original water course for the mill flowing alongside the road in a concrete conduit, with a stone revetted stream beyond that.

Historical information

Precise date of building uncertain but the main block appears on the OS map of 1832; rear return added later (date uncertain). Built as a water-powered corn mill, presumably the one referred to in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs in 1838 as follows: "There is a corn mill in the townland of Ballywee, the property of Jackson Beard. Water wheel is 16 feet in diameter by 2 feet broad at the buckets; breast wheel, single geared, fall of water 12 feet; slated, in good repair."
There was a mill pond just to the north of the mill shown on the OS map of 1832, and by the OS map of 1857 a flax mill was shown to the north of that, presumably the one referred to in the following paragraph of the Ordnance Survey Memorials as follows: "The flax mill is the property of the same person … Both mills are idle in summer from want of water."
Also associated with the corn mill was a detached house immediately to the south (HB20/06/014B) shown on the OS map of 1832, later doubled in size.
The water to power the mill was abstracted from the Four Mile Burn being diverted into the mill pond, and thence along a head-race to the wheel.
Wheel and machinery still operational at time of first survey in 1973; building listed in 1974, when the exterior wall finish was render. By 1979 severe flooding had caused damage to the mill pond and the mill was no longer able to function; by 1986 the grain floor of the kiln at the east end had collapsed; after lying vacant for some years a repair scheme was started c 1993 by the present owners. The existing east gable was demolished and rebuilt in a set-back position at this time, an existing entrance or gateway to the south of that gable was closed, a new gateway was created to the north of it and the adjacent stone boundary wall lowered. Inside, much of the building has been refitted for domestic use but the western end of the main block has been preserved with its original machinery and fittings retained intact. Original machinery and fittings still in position are the water wheel, the layshaft transmission system, three pairs of mill stones inside, and a small corn crusher.
Head-race now dismantled, and mill pond filled in in recent years, now covered with grass.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1832, Co Antrim 51.
2. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 51.
Secondary Sources
1. W.A. McCutcheon, The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland (HMSO, Belfast, 1980), p 234.
2. IHR 7205.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
E. Spatial Organisation
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a good example of a water-powered corn mill of the early 19th century which has survived with its essential mill machinery and fittings intact, if not entirely in working order. It is a masonry structure, built in a vernacular tradition, retaining the essence of its original character if not an unchanged appearance, and it enjoys a comparatively unspoiled and pleasant setting alongside a river and bridge . Despite the loss of some original elements, the survival of two original interior rooms complete with interior and exterior machinery contribute greatly to its architectural and historic importance.

General comments

In the first Survey, this building was recorded as HB20/06/014.