Sinton's Mill, Glebe Hill Road, Derryallen, Tandragee, Co Armagh, BT62 2EW

Sinton's Mill is a relatively small and compact flax spinning mill complex built between circa 1865 and circa 1882. It sits in semi-rural surroundings on the southern outskirts of Tandragee. The complex combines rubble stone, brick and render construction, and consists of a three-storey mill with related two- and single-storey buildings arranged around a courtyard.

The arrangement is loosely figure-of-eight shaped. The main entrance at the northwest corner leads into an intimate and picturesque courtyard, unexpectedly centered on an expanse of lawn with a tree, giving the place something of the air of a school yard rather than a factory. Around this courtyard stand the two-storey former manager's house and single-storey office block on the north side; two-storey former stores and preparing block to the west; a further two-storey former preparing block (with single-storey lean-to) to the south; and the single-storey former hackling block to the east. Beyond this courtyard to the southeast stands the large—though relatively small by contemporary standards—three-storey mill block. To the west and southwest of the mill is a large single-storey former preparing block with northlights, to the south a two-storey former mechanics' workshop, and to the north and west a sprawling collection of largely single-storey buildings formerly used as stores. The vast majority of these buildings date from the 1865-82 period, though many of the single-storey sheds to the northeast date from the 1980s, as does a very large single- to two-storey extension to the west of the courtyard.

The courtyard is entered from the northwest corner through a plain, unpretentious large flat-arched vehicle doorway with timber-sheeted double doors incorporating a wicket gate.

Manager's House and Office Block (Blocks 3a-b)

On the north side of the courtyard stands the former manager's house and office block. The manager's house is a relatively plain two-storey building with a gabled roof and rendered façade. Its front (south) elevation is asymmetrical, with the entrance right of centre consisting of a panelled timber door with plain jambs set within a recess topped by a plain segmental-arched fanlight. To either side of the entrance is a full-height, hipped-roof canted bay with sill courses and a prominent cornice-like string course between floor levels. Each facet of each bay on each floor has a window, with those to the broader centre facets being larger. The windows are sash except for one (which has a modern hopper-opener frame), with vertical glazing bars to the larger central windows (two panes over two). Between the bays on the first floor, directly above the doorway, is another sash window matching those at the centre of the bays. To the far left of the elevation is a much narrower plain sash window at both ground and first floor.

The rear (north-facing) elevation of the house is also rendered, with two widely spaced windows at ground floor and two at first floor, plus another at half-landing level in the centre. The last window is sash with Georgian panes (six over six); the rest are mullioned and transomed. The house has a pitched slated roof, gabled to the east end with overhang and plain bargeboards. There are three evenly spaced rendered chimney stacks on the ridge. The house has cast-iron downspouts and extruded aluminium guttering.

To the immediate east side, the house merges with the single-storey office section. This has a rubble stone façade with painted brick in-and-out dressings to openings and a cream brick eaves course. The front (south) elevation is asymmetrical and chamfered to the left-hand side. Left of centre is a doorway with panelled and glazed door and a large two-pane shallow segmental-arch-headed fanlight. To the left are three windows all with shallow segmental-arched heads, six-pane mullioned and transomed frames, and the aforementioned painted brick dressings. Most of the windows throughout the complex are identical to these. One of the windows has been partly boarded over. To the right of the doorway are three more windows. To the far right is a large vehicle opening with a segmental-arched head, within which is another pedestrian doorway.

The rear elevation of the office section has two lean-to projections. That to the left (east) is smaller and appears to have one window to its north face, while the larger one to the right has three windows to its north face. Between the lean-tos (on the main building) is another window. All the rear windows appear to have frames as on the front, but all are flat-arched and none have dressings. The pitched roof of the office section is slated. To the rear there is a cast-iron skylight. Rainwater goods as for the house.

Store Block to North (Block 4)

To the east, just beyond the courtyard, the office block merges with a two-storey hipped-roof store block. This is in red brick to the north, but the rear elevation and parts of the east and west elevations are in rubble stone. There is a cream brick eaves course to all elevations. On the ground floor of the front (south) elevation is a large segmental-headed loading bay door (raised off the ground) with timber-sheeted double doors. To the left of this are four windows, much as on the front of the previous block but without dressings; to the right of the door are four similar windows. On the first floor there are nine similar but shorter windows. On the ground floor of the rear elevation there are four relatively small louvered openings with brick dressings, with four more similar but smaller openings on the first floor. The hipped roof of this block is slated with a small cast-iron skylight to the north and another to the west. PVC downspouts and extruded aluminium guttering.

Store Block to Northeast (Block 10)

To the immediate east, the above block merges with a long single-storey block also previously used as a store. The western half of this block dates from the late 19th century and has a rubble stone south elevation, but the eastern half is a relatively recent (or recently altered) utilitarian roughcast-rendered affair, probably dating from the 1980s. On the front elevation of the older western portion there is a large segmental-headed vehicle doorway to the left-hand side with in-and-out rendered dressings and timber-sheeted double doors. To the right are two brick-dressed windows, much as those mentioned previously. To the right again is a segmental-headed pedestrian doorway with partly glazed door. To the right of this are three more windows, smaller than before and with a deeper segmental arch to the centre window. The rear elevation of this block is set further north than that of the previous blocks. It appears to be rubble-built with six small flat-arched windows, some boarded up. The gabled roof is covered in corrugated asbestos. PVC guttering and cast-iron downspouts.

The eastern half of the block is finished in roughcast to the front (south) and east with plain cement render to the rear (north). To the left-hand side of the front elevation there are two large segmental-headed windows separated by large piers. To the right of these is a large flat-arched open vehicle doorway. At eaves level the front elevation is clad in corrugated iron, with further similar cladding to the east gable. The gabled roof is covered in corrugated asbestos.

Stables (Block 5)

To the east of the previous block, but not attached to it, is a two-storey former stable block in rubble stone with brick dressings to openings and a slated gabled roof. This block appears to have been originally free-standing, but to the west elevation a large, utilitarian, cement-rendered shed (dating from 1987) has been added. The still exposed section of the front elevation of the stable block has two large elliptical-headed vehicle doorways, now without doors. To the right of these is a flat-arched pedestrian doorway, also without door. There was a similar doorway to the left of the vehicle doorways, but this has been cut across by the abovementioned shed and only some of its dressings can still be seen. On the first floor there were at least three flat-arched windows and a loft door, but the windows are now blocked with breeze blocks. The loft doorway has a timber-sheeted door. On the south gable of the stable block there is another pedestrian doorway (without door) to the left on the ground floor, with a small window (with Georgian-paned frame) to the right. The doorway is now cut across by a relatively recent open stair which leads to an upper-level doorway (with timber-sheeted door) to the right. The other elevations of the stable block could not be seen.

Preparing Room and Stores to West (Block 2b) and Extension (Block 8)

On the west side of the courtyard is a two-storey gabled block, formerly used as a store on the ground floor with preparing room(s) above. The east-facing (courtyard) elevation of this block is in rubble stone and brick, however the once exposed west elevation is now completely covered by a very large modern utilitarian two- to single-storey structure (Block 8) in concrete brick with a very shallow gabled/lean-to roof. The latter section appears to have been added in 1981, but appears to have replaced an earlier smaller building.

The east (courtyard-facing) elevation has the main vehicle entrance to the complex on the right on the ground floor (see above). To the left of this are three windows (much as before) and two pedestrian doorways with timber-sheeted doors with large fanlights. To the right of the entrance is another window, much as before but considerably narrower. The whole of the ground floor is in rubble stone with painted brick dressings to the openings. The upper floor is in red brick and has nine (largely) evenly spaced windows, as those to the ground floor but smaller and without dressings. There is a cream brick eaves course. The gabled roof is slated. Cast-iron downspouts and extruded aluminium guttering.

Preparing Block to South (Block 2a)

To the south side of the courtyard is a long uniform former preparing block in brick with a long lean-to section covering almost all of the ground floor level. This lean-to has fourteen windows, all much as before but without dressings and with some panes of some frames boarded over. The lean-to does not cover a small portion to the far left on the ground floor. Here there is a tall pedestrian doorway with timber-sheeted door with a large four-pane fanlight. The exposed east face of the lean-to is timber-clad with a timber-sheeted pedestrian door. On the first floor (of the main block) there are sixteen windows, all as on the lean-to but smaller. The south elevation of this block could not be seen; however, it is clear from internal evidence that its entire ground floor length is abutted by a very large single-storey block with northlights (also formerly used for preparing, Block 7), and that there is a shallow lean-to section to the right-hand (east) side of the upper floor. The east gable of Block 2a is only exposed at first floor level; it is brick-built but has no openings. The roof of the block is gabled and covered with asbestos tiles. The roof has an overhang to the east gable, with shaped bargeboards. The lean-to is covered in asbestos tiles to the lower half and corrugated asbestos to the upper half. There is a cream brick eaves course to the two-storey section. Cast-iron downspouts and extruded aluminium guttering.

Nothing could be seen of the exterior of Block 7 either, but internal observation showed that it does have a series of windows to the south similar to the windows of the previous blocks.

Hackling Block etc. (Blocks 9a-b & 11)

To the east side of the courtyard is a tall single-storey gabled block formerly used for hackling. This block is rubble stone-built, but has had its roof raised at some point and the upper third of each of its exposed elevations are now clad in corrugated iron. Attached to the east side of this block there is another long single-storey block in much the same style, extended in the 1980s to the east end but retaining its original roof height. Attached to the east of the taller block and the south of the lower block is a large utilitarian gabled structure (Block 11), added at some point after 1922.

The west elevation of the taller block has eight windows, much as those to other blocks (segmental heads, painted brick dressings, mullioned and transomed frames etc.). Between the fifth and sixth windows is a doorway with timber-sheeted double doors and a four-pane fanlight. On the north-facing gable there are five windows, as before. To the east the block is abutted by the structures mentioned above and is only exposed to the very right-hand edge, where there is a timber-sheeted pedestrian door. The gabled roof is covered in corrugated asbestos.

The long but lower single-storey block to the east has sixteen windows (as before) to its north elevation and a timber-sheeted pedestrian door. The window to the far left is set within a (relatively) small cement-rendered extension which appears to have been added to the block in relatively recent times (possibly 1980s). On the east gable (of the extension) there are two windows (as before) to the centre and right. To the left of these are two small windows (with modern frames) and a timber-sheeted pedestrian door. Much of the left and centre of the south elevation is covered by the post-1922 utilitarian structure mentioned above and an open lean-to structure which stretches further to the east; however three windows (as those to the north elevation) are still fully exposed to the right-hand side with another smaller window to the extension. The gabled roof of this block is covered in corrugated asbestos with two large curved ventilation ducts extending from the ridge.

The utilitarian single-storey structure (Block 11) is attached to the main mill building to the south (see below) with the result that only its east gable appears to be exposed. This is finished in plain cement render and has a small window near the gabled apex, whilst on the ground floor there is a corrugated asbestos-clad lean-to containing a corridor. In the area to the immediate east of Block 11 there is an untidy collection of structures including a tall octagonal brick chimney and various silo-like tanks with pipes running between them.

The Mill, Engine House and Yarn Stores (Blocks 1a-b & 6)

The mill and engine house (Block 1a) is the largest single structure on the site and probably the oldest. It is situated on the southeast side of the complex and is largely rubble-built with a slated gabled roof with large roof lights. The windows are much as before with shallow segmental-arched heads, painted brick dressings and mullioned and transomed timber frames. To the south of it there is a brick-built single- and two-storey extension, formerly the mechanics' workshop. Joined to the east end of the mill is a similar but lower three-storey block formerly largely used as a yarn store (Block 1b). Its form and detailing largely repeat that of the mill; however to its eastern end there is a large sprawling single-storey cement-rendered extension (Block 6) added in the 1980s.

Block 1a

The ground floor of the north elevation of the mill is now largely obscured by Block 11 (described above); however, two pedestrian doorways (with timber-sheeted doors and large fanlights) and two windows are still fully exposed to the left-hand side. On each of the two upper floors there is a uniform line of fourteen windows. The east gable is only exposed at second floor level and is blank. The west gable is exposed at second floor level also with part of the first floor level also exposed. There is a centrally positioned (stairwell) window between first and second floor levels.

The ground and first floor levels of the south elevation of the mill are largely obscured by the presence of a large two-storey hipped-roof engine house to the right-hand end of the elevation and a long single-storey former mechanics' workshop beyond (both described below); however, internal evidence shows that most of the first floor windows are still fully exposed. The second floor (which due to the topography of the site could not be seen in its entirety either) appears to have retained all of its long row of windows, though at least one is now louvered. To the far right of the south elevation, just left of the engine house extension, there is a narrow, turret-like semicircular projection in brick with a conical roof, with a further similar projection to the left-hand side; both probably originally housed toilets.

The roof of the mill is gabled with a large rectangular rendered tank situated to the west end. The roof is covered in slate with a long row of roof lights to the ridge. There is a cream brick eaves course. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

The engine house extension is in brick with its hipped roof slated. On its east elevation there is a large upper-level doorway (which must originally have been accessed by an outside stair) with panelled and glazed double doors and a "spoked" semicircular fanlight. To either side of this doorway is a single semicircular-headed window with mullioned and transomed timber frame. There is a similar window to the upper level of the narrow south elevation. Due to the closeness of the river to the south of the mill and the presence of a high boundary wall, little could be seen of the former mechanics' workshop other than a very oblique view of its south elevation, which is in brick with a long row of small windows. The roof appears to be gabled.

Blocks 1b & 6

The ground floor level of Block 1b is largely obscured by the untidy assemblage of engine-related structures (silo-like tanks, the chimney, pipes etc.) mentioned above and the large sprawling 1980s extension which wraps around much of the right-hand side of this elevation. A small portion of the left-hand side of the ground floor is still exposed and here there are two small crudely fashioned openings—one taken up with an extractor fan. On the first floor, five windows to the centre and right are still fully exposed whilst those to the left are obscured by the roof of the large extension. On the second floor there are eight windows. The three windows to the right on both first and second floors are closely grouped together, have flat-arched heads as opposed to segmental, and are separated from the rest of the windows by a line of brick quoins, suggesting that this block was built in two stages. Evidence to the south elevation and roof suggests this also.

The east gable is only exposed from the first floor upwards. On both first and second floors there are four windows, much as before (segmental heads), with a further window set at loft level. The apex of the gable is constructed in brick as opposed to rubble. To the left on the ground floor of the south elevation there is a group of three very large semicircular-headed windows with mullioned and transomed frames. The central window incorporates a large panelled and glazed pedestrian double door. To the right of this are five windows, much as on the gable. One of these windows is now blocked. On the first and second floors there are eight windows each, the three to the left on each floor with flat-arched heads as opposed to segmental. The gabled roof of this block appears to be largely slated with several small cast-iron skylights. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

The large extension to the east end of Block 1b (Block 6) is in plain cement render with a very shallow gabled roof with an uneven pitch (and covered in corrugated iron). It has various openings with most of the windows made to resemble those of the original building (similar size, segmental heads, in-and-out dressings etc.).

The complex is enclosed to the south and east by a high rendered wall on the other side of which is the River Cusher. The proximity of the river and the fact that its opposite (southern) bank is tree-lined makes it almost impossible to get a view of the complex from this direction.