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 in stages between approximately 1865 and 1882, constructed in a combination of rubble stone, brick and render. It consists of a three-storey mill and a range of related two-storey and single-storey buildings arranged around a courtyard, and sits within semi-rural surroundings on the southern outskirts of Tandragee. It is a good and largely intact example of a later 19th-century mill. The complex is enclosed to the south and east by a high rendered wall, on the other side of which runs the River Cusher; the tree-lined southern bank of the river makes it almost impossible to view the complex from that direction.

The overall plan of the complex is loosely figure-of-eight in shape. The main entrance is at the north-west corner and leads into a surprisingly intimate and somewhat picturesque courtyard, whose centre is largely filled with an unexpected expanse of lawn with a tree at its centre, giving the place the air of a school yard rather than a factory. The north side of this courtyard is occupied by the former manager's house and single-storey office block; the west side by a two-storey former stores and preparing block; the south side by a further two-storey former preparing block with a single-storey lean-to; and the east side by the former single-storey hackling block. Beyond the courtyard to the south-east is the large — though relatively modest by contemporary standards — three-storey mill block. To its west and south-west is a large single-storey former preparing block with northlights; to the south is a two-storey former mechanics' workshop; and to the north and west is a sprawling collection of largely single-storey former store buildings. The great majority of these buildings date from approximately 1865 to 1882, though many of the single-storey sheds to the north-east date from the 1980s, as does a very large single- to two-storey extension to the west of the courtyard.

ENTRANCE

The courtyard is entered from the north-west corner through a plain and unpretentious large flat-arch vehicle doorway fitted with timber-sheeted double doors that incorporate a wicket gate.

MANAGER'S HOUSE AND OFFICE BLOCK

The former manager's house on the north side of the courtyard is a relatively plain two-storey building with a gabled roof and rendered façade. Its front (south) elevation is asymmetrical, with the entrance positioned to the right of centre: 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 the floor levels. Each facet of each bay at each floor has a window, with those to the broader centre facets larger. The windows are all sashes except one (which has a modern hopper-opener frame), with vertical glazing bars to the larger central windows (2 panes over 2). To the first floor between the bays, directly above the doorway, is another sash window matching those to the centres of the bays, whilst to the far left of the elevation there is a much narrower plain sash window at both ground- and first-floor level.

The rear (north-facing) elevation is also rendered and has two widely spaced windows to the ground floor and two to the first floor, with a further window at half-landing level in the centre. This last window is a sash with Georgian panes (6 over 6); the rest are mullioned and transomed. The house has a pitched slated roof, gabled at the east end with an overhang and plain barges. There are three evenly spaced rendered chimney stacks to the ridge. Rainwater goods are cast iron downspouts with extruded aluminium guttering.

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

The rear elevation of the office section has two lean-to projections: the one 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 two lean-tos there is another window. All rear windows appear to have frames similar to those at the front, but all have flat arch heads rather than segmental and none have dressings. The pitched roof of the office section is slated, and there is a cast iron skylight to the rear.

STORE BLOCK TO THE NORTH

Just beyond the courtyard to the east, the office block merges with a two-storey hipped-roof store block. This is in red brick to the north, while the rear elevation and parts of the east and west elevations are in rubble stone. A cream brick eaves course runs to all elevations. To the ground floor of the front (south) elevation there 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 those to the front of the office block but without dressings; to the right of the door are four similar windows. To the first floor there are nine similar but shorter windows. To the ground floor of the rear elevation there are four relatively small louvred openings with brick dressings, with four more similar but smaller openings to the first floor. The hipped roof is slated with a small cast iron skylight to the north and another to the west. Rainwater goods are PVC downspouts with extruded aluminium guttering.

STORE BLOCK TO THE NORTH-EAST

Immediately to the 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; the eastern half is a relatively recent utilitarian roughcast-rendered structure, probably dating from the 1980s.

To 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 of this are two brick-dressed windows as described previously, followed by a segmental-headed pedestrian doorway with a partly glazed door, and then three more windows — smaller than before, with the centre window having a deeper segmental arch. The rear elevation of this block sits further to the north than those of the previous blocks and appears to be rubble-built, with six small flat-arch windows, some of which are boarded up. The gabled roof is covered in corrugated asbestos. Rainwater goods are PVC guttering and cast iron downspouts.

The eastern half of the block is finished in roughcast to the front (south) and east elevations and 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, and to the right of these is a large flat-arch 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

To the east of the store 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. The block appears originally to have been free-standing, but a large utilitarian cement-rendered shed dating from 1987 has since been added to its west elevation. The still-exposed section of the front elevation has two large elliptical-headed vehicle doorways now without doors, and to their right a flat-arch pedestrian doorway, also without a door. A similar pedestrian doorway formerly existed to the left of the vehicle openings, but this has been cut across by the 1987 shed and only some of its dressings remain visible. To the first floor there were at least three flat-arch windows and a loft door, but the windows are now blocked with breeze blocks. The loft doorway retains a timber-sheeted door.

To the south gable of the stable block there is a pedestrian doorway without a 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 up to an upper-level doorway with a timber-sheeted door to the right. The other elevations of the stable block could not be seen.

PREPARING ROOM AND STORES TO THE WEST, AND WESTERN EXTENSION

On the west side of the courtyard is a two-storey gabled block formerly used as a store at ground-floor level with preparing room or rooms above. The east-facing (courtyard) elevation is in rubble stone and brick; the formerly exposed west elevation is now completely covered by a very large modern utilitarian single- to two-storey structure in concrete brick with a very shallow gabled or lean-to roof, which appears to have been added in 1981, apparently replacing an earlier smaller building.

The east (courtyard-facing) elevation contains the main vehicle entrance to the complex to the right at ground-floor level (as described above). To the left of this are three windows (much as before) and two pedestrian doorways with timber-sheeted doors and large fanlights. To the right of the entrance is another window, similar to the others but considerably narrower. The entire 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 at ground-floor level but smaller and without dressings. A cream brick eaves course runs to the top of the wall. The gabled roof is slated. Rainwater goods are cast iron downspouts with extruded aluminium guttering.

PREPARING BLOCK TO THE SOUTH

On 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 described previously but without dressings and with some panes on some frames boarded over. A small portion of the ground floor at the far left is not covered by the lean-to; here there is a tall pedestrian doorway with a timber-sheeted door and a large four-pane fanlight. The exposed east face of the lean-to is timber-clad with a timber-sheeted pedestrian door. To the first floor of the main block there are sixteen windows, all as those to the lean-to but smaller.

The south elevation of this block could not be seen. Internal evidence makes clear that the entire ground-floor length is abutted to the south by a very large single-storey former preparing block with northlights, and that there is a shallow lean-to section to the right-hand (east) side of the upper floor. That northlit block has a series of windows to its south elevation similar to those of the other blocks in the complex, though its exterior could not otherwise be examined. The east gable of the preparing block is exposed only at first-floor level; it is brick-built but has no openings. The roof is gabled and covered with asbestos tiles, with an overhang to the east gable and shaped barges. The lean-to is covered in asbestos tiles to the lower half and corrugated asbestos to the upper half. A cream brick eaves course runs to the two-storey section. Rainwater goods are cast iron downspouts with extruded aluminium guttering.

HACKLING BLOCK AND ASSOCIATED STRUCTURES TO THE EAST

On the east side of the courtyard is a tall single-storey gabled block formerly used for hackling, built in rubble stone. The roof of this block has been raised at some point, and the upper third of each exposed elevation is now clad in corrugated iron. Attached to its east side is another long single-storey block in much the same style, extended to the east end in the 1980s 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 added at some point after 1922.

The west elevation of the taller block has eight windows, as those elsewhere in the complex (segmental heads, painted brick dressings, mullioned and transomed frames). Between the fifth and sixth windows is a doorway with timber-sheeted double doors and a four-pane fanlight. The north-facing gable has five windows as before. To the east, the block is abutted by the structures described above and is only exposed at 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 that appears to have been added in the 1980s. To the east gable of this extension there are two windows (as before) to the centre and right, and 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 described above and an open lean-to structure stretching further to the east, but three windows (as those to the north elevation) are still fully exposed to the right-hand side, with a further 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 post-1922 structure is attached to the main mill building to the south, 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; at ground-floor level there is a corrugated asbestos-clad lean-to forming a corridor. In the area immediately to the east of this structure there is an untidy collection of elements including a tall octagonal brick chimney and various silo-like tanks with pipes running between them.

THE MILL, ENGINE HOUSE AND YARN STORES

The mill and engine house form the largest single structure on the site and are probably the oldest part of the complex. They are situated on the south-east side and are largely rubble-built, with a slated gabled roof with large rooflights. The windows throughout follow the pattern established elsewhere: shallow segmental arch heads, painted brick dressings, and mullioned and transomed timber frames. To the south of the mill there is a brick-built single- and two-storey extension formerly used as the mechanics' workshop. Joined to the east end of the mill is a similar but lower three-storey block formerly used largely as a yarn store.

The ground floor of the north elevation of the mill is now largely obscured by the post-1922 utilitarian structure described above, but two pedestrian doorways — each with a timber-sheeted door and a large fanlight — and two windows are still fully exposed to the left-hand side. To each of the two upper floors there is a uniform line of fourteen windows. The east gable is exposed only at second-floor level and is blank. The west gable is exposed at second-floor level and partially at first-floor level, with a centrally positioned stairwell window between the first and second floors.

The ground- and first-floor levels of the south elevation of the mill are largely obscured by a large two-storey hipped-roof engine house at the right-hand end and a long single-storey former mechanics' workshop beyond. 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 — appears to have retained all of its long row of windows, though at least one is now louvred. To the far right of the south elevation, just to the 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 — both possibly originally housing toilets.

The roof of the mill is gabled, with a large rectangular rendered tank situated at the west end. The roof is covered in slate with a long row of rooflights to the ridge. A cream brick eaves course runs at eaves level. Rainwater goods are cast iron.

The engine house extension is in brick with a hipped slated roof. To its east elevation there is a large upper-level doorway — originally accessed by an external stair — fitted with panelled and glazed double doors and a spoked semicircular fanlight. To either side of this doorway is a single semicircular-headed window with a mullioned and transomed timber frame. A similar window appears at the upper level of the narrow south elevation. Due to the proximity of the river to the south and the presence of a high boundary wall, little could be seen of the former mechanics' workshop beyond a very oblique view of its south elevation, which is in brick with a long row of small windows; its roof appears to be gabled.

YARN STORE AND LATER EXTENSION

The ground-floor level of the yarn store block is largely obscured by the assemblage of engine-related structures — silo-like tanks, the chimney, pipes and so on — mentioned above, and by the large 1980s extension that wraps around much of the right-hand side of the north elevation. A small portion of the left-hand side of the ground floor remains exposed, showing two small crudely fashioned openings, one of which is taken up with an extractor fan. To the first floor, five windows at the centre and right are fully exposed, while those to the left are obscured by the roof of the large extension. To the second floor there are eight windows. The three windows to the right on both the first and second floors are closely grouped together, have flat arch heads rather than segmental, and are separated from the remaining windows by a line of brick quoins — strongly suggesting that the yarn store block was built in two stages, a reading supported by evidence on the south elevation and roof.

The east gable is exposed only from the first floor upwards. At both first and second floors there are four windows (segmental heads, as before), with a further window set at loft level. The apex of the gable is constructed in brick rather than 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 as on the gable, one of which is now blocked. At first and second floors there are eight windows each, with the three to the left on each floor having flat arch heads rather than segmental. The gabled roof appears to be largely slated with several small cast iron skylights. Rainwater goods are cast iron.

The large extension to the east end of the yarn store block, added in the 1980s, is in plain cement render with a very shallow gabled roof of uneven pitch covered in corrugated iron. It has various openings, with most windows designed to resemble those of the original building — similar in size, with segmental heads and in-and-out dressings.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Valuation records show that the earliest sections of the mill were built at some point between 1863 and 1870 by the Tandragee Spinning Mill Company. Around 1872 the mill was purchased by Thomas Sinton, who had established a mill at Laurel Vale in the 1850s. According to the valuers, Sinton enlarged the Tandragee premises shortly after taking control; rises in the valuation during 1874 and 1875 suggest that much of this building work was carried out around that time. In 1882 a new store and manager's house were added. A small engraving of the complex published in Bassett's 1888 Book of County Armagh shows the complex much as it appears today; Bassett records that the mill spun for the heavy end of the trade and employed about 600 people, chiefly females. Little appears to have been added after approximately 1888: a plan in a Valuation Office notebook dating from 1922 shows all the buildings visible today, with the exception of the 1980s additions. The mill ceased large-scale production in 1996 and finally closed in early 2002.