Windmill stump, Ballyblack Road, Kearney, Portaferry, Co Down

The ruin of a pre-1805 windmill stump stands in a field near the southeastern coast of the Ards Peninsula, in Kearney Townland, close to the junction of the Ballyblack and Newcastle Roads, approximately three miles southeast of Portaferry. The stump, built of random rubble, measures roughly 6.5m by 7.5m and has two ground-level flat arch entrances and two small first-floor openings. The walls are 0.75m thick. Internally, only a few scattered timbers and various recesses remain, suggesting the mill originally had at least three levels.

James Williamson’s map of 1810 depicts the windmill. A valuation from 1836 describes it as a corn mill with a pair of stones and machinery dating back approximately thirty years, further supporting its construction before about 1805. At that time, it was owned by a Widow Hasty (or Hastings), but by 1861, it had been acquired by Hugh McMullan. Accounts in the 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society' indicate the mill was in use within living memory, and was operated by three sisters, Mary, Sarah, and Hessie McMullan, likely relatives of Hugh McMullan. However, a more detailed article suggests it was only operative between 1867 and 1871. The structure is of industrial archaeological interest and is considered a monument.