Flax mill, Opposite 6 Caughey's Rd, Dromore, Co Down, BT25 1DS

Flax Mill Complex, Caughey's Road, Dromore

An industrial complex comprising a flax mill, steam engine house, boiler house, chimney, motor house and two stores, located on Caughey's Road west of a restored demonstration mill. The site represents the remains of engine-powered flax scutching mills dating from the first half of the 20th century. Whilst of historical interest as a 20th century flax mill complex, no machinery survives and the character of the original site has been compromised by the erection of later buildings.

The flax mill is a single-storey, two-bay building aligned east-west at the west end of the premises, with a pitched corrugated metal roof and brick walls with square-headed openings. The north elevation formerly had three wide openings at the left end, now all infilled with concrete blocks, with a timber door inserted in the left opening. Two doors (one infilled, one with roller shutter) and five windows without cills occupy the remainder of this elevation; all windows have replacement uPVC frames with 2x2 panes. The east gable is rendered with cement and has a small shuttered opening to the apex. The south elevation is abutted at the left by a modern single-storey monopitched toilet block and to the middle by the former steam engine house. The exposed part between these abutting sections has an infilled doorway. The exposed section at the east end has an infilled door and window, a sliding metal door and two infilled wide openings. The west gable has a door to the left with a roller shutter and two windows, all with uPVC frames.

The engine house abuts the middle of the south elevation of the flax mill and is aligned north-south. It has a pitched natural slate roof with no rainwater goods and brick walls with square-headed openings. The west elevation has two doors (one infilled) and one infilled window. A passage runs between the north gable and the flax mill, with a doorway on the gable. The east elevation has a door at the middle and a window at the right. The south gable has a doorway with the roof continuing over as a porch in front of the boiler house.

The boiler house is aligned east-west parallel to and south of the flax mill, with a pitched natural slate roof with a dormer ventilator to the north pitch and no rainwater goods. It has brick walls. The north elevation has a doorway at the left with a modern replacement partly-glazed door. The east gable has a doorway with a porch in front. The south elevation has three windows with chamfered concrete cills, all with replacement timber frames. The west gable is blank except for a brick flue to the chimney and the mark of a formerly abutting monopitched single-storey building at the right.

A free-standing chimney is positioned just beyond the west end of the boiler house. It comprises a square brick base with a tapered flue of square section rising from it. The crown is corbelled brick surmounted by a concrete top. A flue abuts the base of the east elevation, constructed of brick with a concrete flagged top and an adjustable vertical gate at the east end to control draught through the boiler firebox. A small access hatch runs along the south side.

The motor house is a small single-storey, single-bay building situated to the east of the other three buildings and formerly housed the oil engine which drove a now-demolished mill. It has a pitched natural slate roof with no rainwater goods and brick walls, and is aligned east-west. Its south elevation has an infilled door and a partly infilled window. The west gable is abutted by a flat-roofed single-storey concrete block building. The north elevation is cement rendered with a doorway therein. The east gable is blank.

Store 1 is a relatively modern single-storey, single-bay former flax store aligned north-south immediately north of the motor house, now completely enveloped by a large corrugated-metal shed. It has a pitched corrugated-asbestos roof with a circular ridge ventilator; part of the roof is now missing. The rendered concrete block walls have doors to the east elevation and south gable.

Store 2 is an original single-storey, single-bay flax store aligned north-south a short distance northeast of Store 1, now enclosed by a modern corrugated metal shed. It has a pitched natural slate roof. The walls to the east and west elevations were originally open with brick piers supporting the roof; the openings are now infilled with concrete blockwork. The north gable has a window to the corrugated-metal sheeted apex. The south gable has a wide doorway and also has a corrugated metal apex.

The flax mill is not shown on the 1919 Ordnance Survey map. A flax mill is first cited in the 1935 Valuation book under the ownership of Isabella McConville. Scutching was commenced by her husband Felix, who initially erected a flax mill driven by an oil engine at the start of the First World War, around 1914-15. A steam-powered flax mill was subsequently erected beside it. Felix's son Richard took over operations. Although flax scutching continues to be cited in the Valuation books for the period 1936-57, both mills stopped in the 1940s, shortly after the end of the Second World War. The mill driven by the oil engine was subsequently demolished; the remaining mill buildings are all shown on the 1974 Ordnance Survey map. In the 1980s, several of the buildings within the complex were completely enclosed under a large metal-clad shed.

The site is set within fields to the north and south, with an open water channel running along the south side of the premises, which supplies the water-powered flax mill to the west of the road. Open concrete flax retting tanks are located at the east end. The public road is at the west end of the premises, beyond which is a working flax mill under the same ownership.