The Watermill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This mill complex is situated on the right bank of the river behind the main street, at the top of a high double waterfall discharging into Crawfordsburn Glen. It comprises three sections: the former corn mill at the W end, an infill section in middle, and former store at E.

Mill
This section comprises a two-storey building aligned NE-SW, with a two-storey return along its NW side. The entire building has been converted into a self-contained dwelling.
It has a replacement pitched tile roof, cement-rendered chimneys to the main section and return, and boxed eaves. The walls are of unrendered random rubble. The openings are generally square headed with replacement frames. The SW gable of the main section has two tall spoke-headed windows to its south gable. The door and window openings to the ground floor of this elevation are later insertions; the OS maps show the waterwheel to have been on this gable originally. Because of the sloping topography, the NE and SE elevations of this section are only visible at first floor level.

Infill
This two-storey infill section is aligned parallel with the mill. Again only the upper floor is visible on the SE elevation. It has been converted into a dwelling (originally a self-contained unit, but now internally amalgamated with the store).
The roof is detailed as the mill. The ground floor is of unrendered random rubble. A break in the stonework suggests that the end of the wall is a relatively modern extension. The upper part is rendered with cement which has been finished to mimic hung slates. Its underlying fabric is uncertain but it is probably a mid 20th century (re)build, possibly in concrete blockwork. There is a projecting cement-rendered chimney breast to the SE elevation with a window cut though its base. The openings to the NW and SW elevations are semicircular and those to the SE elevation flat; all contain modern window frames. There are no openings to the ground floor except for a rectangular former stone-lined headrace channel at head level on the NW elevation. This was part of the headrace which fed the external waterwheel on the SW gable of the mill. The race was fed from a pond on the opposite side of the main road and ran in an open channel along the SE side of the adjoining store.

Store
This two-storey former store runs E-W at an angle to the infill section. Again it has been converted to living accommodation.
Its roof is detailed as the mill. There is a cement-rendered chimney along its S eaves. The S elevation is rendered to mimic hung slates and the E and N elevations are of unrendered random rubble. All the openings are square-headed and appear to be new insertions or enlargements of the originals; they are filled with modern doors and windows.

Historical information

The mill is cited as a corn mill on the 1834, 1858 and 1895 OS maps. The store to its east is shown as a detached building on all editions. It is probably of later 18th or early 19th century date.
The 1830s Ordnance Survey Memoir notes the mill as belonging to Sharman Crawford MP and powered by a 15ft diameter by 5ft wide undershot waterwheel.
Sharman Crawford was the son of William Sharman of Moira Castle and assumed the surname Crawford when he inherited the estate of his brother-in-law John Crawford of Crawfordsburn. He was MP for Dundalk from 1835 to 1837 and for Rochdale from 1841 to 1852.
The Griffith Valuation, published in 1863, notes the owner as John S. Crawford. The complex is described as a corn mill, kiln and offices, with a total rateable valuation of £27.
The 1900 OS map now shows the space between the mill and store as infilled and the complex is now captioned as a saw mill; the corn mill may well have been out of commission by this date. Its citation as a saw mill is repeated on the 1919 and 1939 OS maps. By the 1958 OS survey, however, the entire site is captioned as The Watermill; industrial operations had probably ceased by now and the complex converted to housing. Additions are shown at the NW end of the corn mill and S end of the infill section between the two original buildings.

References – Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/3/1/1. First edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 1 (1834).
2. OS Memoir for Bangor Parish. Reprinted as Day, A. & McWilliams, P. (eds) Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland: Parishes of County Down II, 1832-37, North Down & Ards, p.25 (Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1991).
3. PRONI OS/6/3/1/2. Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 1 (1858).
4. 1863 Griffith Valuation, Newtownards Union, Ballymullan Td, p.62.
5. PRONI OS/10/3/1/8/1. First edition OS 25-inch map, Co Down sheet 8-01 (1895).
6. PRONI OS/6/3/1/3. Third edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 1 (1900).
7. PRONI OS/6/3/1/4. Fourth edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 1 (1919).
8. PRONI OS/10/3/1/8/4. Fourth edition OS 25-inch map, Co Down sheet 8-01 (1939).
9. PRONI OS/11/115/15/1. First edition OS 25-inch Irish Grid map, 115-15 (1958).

References – Secondary sources:
1. University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections, < http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/manuscriptsandspecialcollections/ learning/biographies/williamsharmancrawford(1781-1861).aspx>.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This later 18th or early 19th century water-powered corn mill and ancillary store were converted to living accommodation in the mid 1900s. Apart from the stone walls, all original fabric, fixtures and fittings have been replaced with new materials, none of which replicates the original features. None of the milling plant and machinery survives.

General comments

In Crawfordsburn Area of Village Character.

The record has been renumbered from HB23/15/015.