7 Hazel Bank Road, Gilford, Craigavon, BT63 6DS

This former flax mill complex stands on the left bank of the River Bann just east of Lawrencetown, accessed via a single-track vehicular bridge down a lane from the main Banbridge to Gilford road. The complex comprises three main sections: a former spinning mill aligned east-west along the river bank, a former engine house with chimney, and traces of a former weaving shed and turbine house.

Current Condition (June 2007)

Since the original survey in November 1999, significant restoration work has been undertaken. The two-storey mill has been partially restored with repointed brick dressings around the openings and a new roof of natural Bangor blue slate. The three-storey mill has had its brick window surrounds and part of the stone walling repointed, with the majority of window openings now fitted with painted timber two-over-two sliding sash windows.

The left-hand section of the engine and boiler house, where previously only a single north-facing wall remained, has been reconstructed with three new walls built in clay brick to match the original and re-roofed in natural Bangor blue slates. Original window openings have been fitted with painted timber windows replicating the original design, and additional openings have been created in the new walls to match. The turbine house has been restored to its original condition with a natural Bangor blue slated roof, restored stone walls with red brick surrounds, and recreated eaves details. Modern turbines have been installed along with a holding pond to the east, fed from the original mill race.

The Spinning Mill

The spinning mill consists of two distinct sections: a two-storey building at the west end and a three-storey building with attic at the east end.

Two-Storey Mill

This building is four openings wide, measuring 61 feet 6 inches by 28 feet 3 inches in plan and standing 18 feet to the eaves (measured from internal floor level), with 18-inch-thick walls. The original pitched slate roof was replaced with underfelted corrugated metal sheeting (prior to the 2007 restoration), though the original queen-post trusses (two in number), double purlins and common rafters were retained. The walls are constructed of split quarried Silurian rubble with roughly dressed granite quoins to the west gable. The advanced eaves course is executed in yellow brick set diagonally and faced with a timber board carrying half-round plastic gutters. All openings have red hand-made brick surrounds with flat heads unless otherwise stated, and the window cills are of sandstone.

The south elevation facing the yard has four openings to each floor. The upper floor openings align with those on the ground floor except for the rightmost opening. All are windows (originally sheeted over before restoration) except the third opening from left on the ground floor, which is a wide doorway with a semi-elliptical arched head (doors no longer present). Between the two first-floor windows at left is a cast-iron bearing bracket which carried a shaft across from the engine house; the bracket has been packed around with machined brick, indicating a later insertion. At ground level towards the right-hand end is a shallow segmental brick arch, now infilled (more clearly visible on the inside face), which undoubtedly marks the former intake to the waterwheel from the headrace channel.

The west gable has a doorway to the ground floor centre which has been infilled but retains its two-pane transom. At extreme right is a vertical slit trimmed with machined red brick. Immediately to its left is a concrete emplacement, most likely an engine mounting with a pulley belt drive into the mill. The north elevation facing the river has three windows to the ground floor and four to the first floor. At ground level at left is an infilled segmental brick arch marking the former tailrace. Prior to restoration, all windows had been sheeted over and no original frames survived. Between the third and fourth windows from left on the first floor is a cast-iron bearing bracket corresponding with that on the opposite wall.

Three-Storey Mill

This single-bay building is trapezoidal in plan, measuring 106 feet 10 inches long on its north side (which has 12 openings) and 93 feet 10 inches along its south side (11 openings). It is 39 feet wide, stands 29 feet 6 inches high to the eaves, and has 24-inch-thick walls. Its original pitched slate roof was replaced with underfelted troughed metal sheeting (prior to the 2007 restoration), though the original queen-post trusses (11 in number), double purlins and common rafters were retained. Some of the massive 3 feet by 2 feet slates are stacked on the attic floor. There is a skylight to the yard pitch.

The walls are of Silurian rubble and exhibit two phases of construction. The west section, which has six window openings at first floor and measures 53 feet 10 inches long, is of randomly laid rubble incorporating many rounded field stones, whereas the remaining eastern portion (53 feet to 40 feet long) is of quarried rubble brought to courses. The quoins on the west gable and the east end of the west section are of roughly dressed granite. The east section has no quoins to its west end, and those to its east gable are of finely dressed vee-jointed granite blocks, indicating that the east end is a later addition. The north and south walls are tied with metal plates connected to the principal floor beams. Advanced brick eaves carry a timber board on which half-round plastic gutters are mounted. All openings have red hand-made brick surrounds with flat heads unless otherwise stated, and the window cills are of sandstone.

The south elevation facing the yard has 10 openings to the ground floor and 11 to each of its upper floors. Prior to restoration, openings 1 and 2 (numbered from left) to the ground and first floors had a corrugated metal canopy over. Openings 4, 5 and 6 were abutted to ground floor and part of the first floor by an extension of the one-storey dwelling sitting in front of the mill, which according to the owner was formerly the mill canteen. Before restoration, all ground floor openings had been infilled with brick or concrete blocks. Opening 7 was once a door and has been superseded by a new wider insertion to its immediate left with a steel girder head. At first floor level, there were tongue-and-groove sheeted doors to openings 3 and 11 (the latter with a transom). The former was accessed by timber stairs and platform, and the latter by a concrete platform across ground floor openings 8 to 10. Before restoration, all remaining openings were windows, all but one without their frames and sheeted over with corrugated plastic. The 11th opening at second floor right retained its original fenestration: a 5-by-5-paned top-opening casement.

The west gable is partially abutted by the two-storey building already described. Holding-down bolts on the gable apex signify the former presence of a metal framework supporting, according to the owner, a bell. At ground level centre is what appears to be an opening for a waterwheel axle. There was originally a doorway to the ground floor and two each to the first and second floors; some have brick relieving arches over and all but that on the ground floor have been infilled. There were two windows to the attic floor. That at left contained the 3-by-2-paned top sash to a 6-over-6 sliding sash window; that at right is infilled. The fact that the two-storey building crosses some of these openings indicates that it is a later addition to the three-storey section.

The north elevation facing the river has 12 window openings to all floors, all in line with one another. Before restoration, all ground floor openings were infilled and their cills had been removed. Most of those to the first floor had been sheeted over and ventilation ducts inserted, signifying a former use as a poultry house in the 1960s. Remnants of the framing indicated some two-over-two sliding sashes to the first floor and 5-by-5-paned top-opening casements to the second floor.

The east gable, facing the lane, is set skew. There is a door to first floor centre (level with external ground level on this side). It comprises a pair of diagonally sheeted tongue-and-groove leaves with transom over. There is also a loading door directly above at second floor level with a brick head featuring a small dressed granite keystone.

Engine House and Chimney

Just south-west of the two-storey building, across the headrace, are the vestiges of a steam engine house and boiler room. Prior to restoration, only its north elevation survived. There are moulded sandstone brackets to its projecting masonry eaves course. The wall is of brick and 10 openings wide. The section at left, containing four segmental-headed windows, is set back slightly from the remainder. Openings 6 to 8 comprise three semicircular-headed infilled openings. That at left was abutted by a one-storey corrugated metal shed containing a working turbine (still with live water supply at the time of the 1999 survey). Opening 5 is a flat-headed window. To the right of opening 8 are two similar flat-headed openings to the ground and first floors. Before restoration, all windows were sheeted over with corrugated plastic. The remaining walls had been rebuilt in concrete blockwork with a shallow monopitched roof over.

The chimney associated with the engine still stands to its full height at the west end of the site. It is of brick, its tapering octagonal section rising to a corbelled stone top. The weir and headrace still supply a McCormick turbine which generates electricity for the owner's house. There is apparently a second turbine still in situ but no longer operative. According to the owner, both turbines were installed in 1888.

Weaving Shed

Along the south boundary wall of the complex, the saw-tooth profile of a gable to the former weaving shed is still evident. The style of the stonework suggests that an existing boundary wall was subsequently raised to form the roof profile.

Setting

The premises are bounded to east and south by a high brick wall which contains vestiges of an earlier random rubble one. There was formerly a dressed stone gate into the premises from the lane running along its east side; it has been dismantled and is stored elsewhere on the site. Just upstream from the mill is a triple-span bridge carrying the road over the Bann. It formerly had a wooden deck, subsequently replaced with concrete, and is carried on stone piers. A short distance to the south-east is a ruinous terrace of one-storey mill workers' houses in rubble masonry. To the south are three semi-detached red brick workers' houses, still inhabited.