Cockhill Windmill, Drumanphy Td, Loughall, Co.Armagh

Cockhill Windmill was built between 1706 and 1723 for Edward Hoope. It is the earliest authenticated windmill in Northern Ireland, preceding other early 18th century examples at Newtownards (1729), Saintfield (1736), and Dungannon (1743). The windmill was apparently out of use by the late 1830s and by the 1860s was used as a dwelling, referred to as an 'old tower'. It was vacated by the early 1880s, and by 1910 all working parts had been removed. The original conical roof was replaced with a flat roof, and crenellations were added to the top. The building was intermittently occupied until around 1930, but has been unused since then. A map from 1760 by John Roque and an Ordnance Survey map from 1834-5 document the windmill’s existence.