Former sawmill and byre at, 143 Markethill Road, Portadown, Co Armagh, BT62 3SL

Former sawmill and byre at 143 Markethill Road, Portadown

Two single storey timber clad outbuildings of circa 1929, set to the rear of a house on the western side of Markethill Road, roughly 3 miles south-west of Portadown. Both buildings feature Belfast Truss roofs and are relatively intact domestic-scale examples of early 20th century timber roof construction.

The former sawmill is the larger building, positioned close to the south boundary of the property. It measures roughly 20 metres in length with a central curved roof section approximately 5.2 metres wide, flanked by lean-to sections to the north and south measuring roughly 2.5 metres and 5 metres in width respectively. The northern lean-to extends only half the length of the main building. The structure is timber clad with a large gabled vehicle entrance with double doors to the east elevation. No other openings are visible on the remaining elevations. The curved central roof and lean-to sections are covered in corrugated metal, with a central roof light filled with transparent corrugated Perspex.

The former byre is a taller rectangular structure measuring roughly 11.6 metres by 6 metres, constructed in the same fashion with timber cladding and a curved corrugated metal roof. A single large vehicle entrance without a door is present on the long south elevation.

According to the present owner, the former sawmill was built by her father in 1929 and continued in use until the 1960s. The former byre is believed to have been built around the same time. The buildings are of industrial archaeological interest as examples of the Belfast truss, a roof design developed in the mid-19th century to provide efficient, lightweight and long-span structures. The Belfast truss employs internal bracing members that meet on the top curved member rather than the bottom, a distinctive feature of this regional design tradition.