Glenvale

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey gabled block, now containing two dwellings but originally built as a water powered corn mill.

Front S facade has two almost central recessed pointed arch doorways, that to the left belongs to No.47 and has a timber sheeted door, with that to the right belonging to No.49 which has a glazed door with pointed arch fanlight. Both doorways are positioned where there was once a single large segmental arch door opening, part of the outline of which can be seen above the door of the present No.49. To the left side of the doorway of No.47 is a modern timber ‘casement’-like window (with narrow surround), with two smaller modern windows to the first floor. No.49 has similar windows (without surrounds) in a similar arrangement, but handed. The front facade of No.49 is slightly broader than No.47.

The block is double gabled.

The W double gable (No.47) has three modern windows to the centre of the first floor and two to the ground floor.

The E double gable of No.49 has a glazed door (with slated porch roof over) to the left on the ground floor and a large PVC conservatory to the right. Attached to the far left and far right are two brick chimney stacks which rise the full height of the gables. In between these stacks are four modern windows (much as before) to the first floor, with a very narrow fixed light attic window high in the gable to the left.

To the rear No.47 has two modern windows (as before) to the first floor, with one similar window to the left on the ground floor and a modern glazed door to the right. No.49, which has a narrower rear facade than its neighbour, has a modern window to both floors, both as before.

The block is constructed in rubble, with the front facade and part of the W gable of No.47 now in rough cast render. The mortared joints between the rubble on the front facade of No.49 are raised. The upper left portion of the gabled E facade of No.47 is constructed in brick. The pitched roofs are covered in Bangor blue slates with a Velux window to the front of both houses. No.47 has two brick chimney stacks, with two (attached to the gables) to No.49. PVC rw goods.

The building to the immediate SW of this was also part of the former mill (presumably a kiln house). It to has been converted to living accommodation and has a fairly recently built house (c.1940-50) attached to its S gable. Both sections of the mill still standing were once attached and formed a ‘L’ shaped complex with, with the upper floor of what is now No.47, stretching westwards to join the E facade of the SE block, which itself once stretched further to the N. The linked portions of both blocks have now been demolished but traces of the former section can still be discerned.

Historical information

This block was originally a water powered corn mill, with the wheel (presumably) to the E ‘gable’ of the present No.49. The complex is shown on the OS Map of 1834 as roughly ‘L’ shaped, with the block stretching further to the west and linking to that to the south west at a right angle. The brick built portion of the W facade of the present No.47 shows, however, that it was only the upper levels which were linked, with a coach arch below, giving access to the former yard to the south. The mill may have been that referred to in the OS Memoirs of c.1835 as the ‘flour mill...belonging to Mrs. O’Neil, situated a short distance from the town’ [N’ards]. On the revised OS Map of c.1858-60, the complex appears (the text is not clear) to be marked as ‘[?]Glen [?]Burn Mill and Kilns’. When the mill ceased to function is uncertain, however, the owner of No.47 believed that the conversion of the entire site to dwelling houses occurred around c.1940.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Edition, 1834, Co. Down 6.
2 PRONI VAL 1B/34 1st valuation, Newtownards, c.1835.
3 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Revision, 1860, Co. Down 6.
4 PRONI 2nd valuation, Newtownards, c.1863.
5 Ordinance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol 7: Parishes of Counry Down II, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick Mc Williams (QUB 1991), p106.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Former corn mill dating back to the early 1800s (at least), converted to dwelling houses, possibly in c.1940.