Bishop’s Mill, Abbacy Road, Ballywallon, Portaferry, Co Down, BT22 1PG

Small two storey random rubble gabled water mill, set in a complex of larger and smaller outbuildings of varying dates and states of originality. The mill is set to the S of Abbacy Road c.3 miles N of Portaferry. The ‘front’ elevation of the mill is north east facing and looks out to the Abbacy Road. It has a large double door opening to the right and two small, offset sash to the right (one to ground and one to first floor). The mill race, with remains of wheel, are on the NW gable. Apart from the collapsed wheel the elevation is otherwise blank. To the south, and set at a right angle to the mill, is a larger modern looking two storey gabled store. This store, referred to (erroneously) as a former ‘scutch’ mill by the present owner, is joined to the mill itself by a recently constructed passageway attached to the mill’s south east corner. This larger store may be nineteenth century, but has had a bay added to the south east elevation in more recent times and its roof raised. The south gable of the mill is only partly visible, being sandwiched between the edge of the larger attached store and another modern looking store to the south west, and has an upper level doorway reached via a long flight of stone steps. The north west elevation of the mill has an attached single storey gabled building, of a similar age and construction as the mill (but now partly roofed in corrugated iron), which runs parallel with the mill race. This building was originally a flax scutching mill. The mill itself is painted, with a pitched roof with Tullycavey slates and stone parapets.