Main Block, Gilford Mill, Ann Street-, Gilford, Craigavon, Co Down, BT63 6HX

This extensive former flax spinning mill and thread works stands on the right bank of the Upper Bann at the north-west end of Gilford village. The complex has been subdivided into five discrete units, of which this listing covers the south-west corner, comprising the former flax spinning mill, turbine house, and generator house.

Flax Spinning Mill

The mill is a six-storey building dating from the mid-1830s. Though unoccupied at the time of survey, it was in fair condition, having had its entire roof reslated relatively recently as part of an aborted apartment development. The replacement hipped natural slate roof has continuous skylights to front and rear pitches, with roof gutters and plastic downpipes.

All floors except the top are built of random rubble blackstone brought to courses and embellished with stepped, vee-jointed granite quoins. All openings on these floors are aligned vertically, one above the other, with flattish red brick heads and stepped red brick jambs. The windows have granite cills, but their frames have been removed except on the fourth floor, which retains what may be the original 2×3-paned metal-framed windows with 2×1 opening middle panels. All ground floor window openings have been sheeted over with plywood for security.

The top storey is a later addition in red brick, probably dating from 1903–10, accentuated with yellow brick trim to its quoins, a string course along the wall head of the floor below, and corbelled eaves with a moulded rendered blocking course above. Originally both front and back elevations had only small square windows above alternate windows on the floor below. When the top floor was partly converted into apartments recently, larger openings were inserted between these windows on the south elevation to accommodate timber French windows, the exits from which are now blocked on safety grounds with sheets of glass affixed to the outside face of the wall. 2×2 top-opening uPVC windows were inserted into the original window openings.

The mill's principal elevation faces south and is 27 openings wide. It has timber doors at ground floor and first floor level in the second bay from the west end, the latter accessed by a ramp up from ground level. The 17th column of openings was formerly abutted by a toilet stack, a later addition since removed; the section of wall it abutted is rendered over with cement. There would have been a doorway into the stack on each level, but only the ground floor doorway has been preserved, inserted into an original window with a flat concrete head.

The 19th column of openings is abutted by a projecting eight-stage brick goods hoist stack which rises above the eaves. Originally only seven stages high with the top stage containing the hoist motor, the stack was raised by a stage when the mill gained an additional floor, and the seventh stage was largely rebuilt, evident in the fresher brickwork of these two topmost stages. The stack has advanced brick quoins and each stage is delineated by a concrete string course (moulded on the top two stages). Originally there was a 2×3 metal-framed window to each of the bottom five stages. The first stage window has been replaced with a lift door set into an enlarged opening. Windows to the second, third and fourth stages have been infilled with concrete blocks, but the fifth stage retains its 2×3-paned metal-framed window. The sixth stage has a 3×3-paned circular timber window with concrete 'keystones' at the cardinal points. The top two stages are blank. The top stage has corbelled brick eaves around a flat concrete roof. The top of the stack extends backwards to a raised pitched brick section over the mill roof, probably to give access to the roof. Each cheek of the stack is blank.

The 20th ground floor opening contains a double-leaf timber door with 6×2-paned timber overlight, which led into the staircase serving all upper floors.

Wall markings on the east elevation indicate it was formerly largely abutted to all floors by a now-removed addition. Most of the ground floor and top floor surfaces are cement rendered and a modern flat-headed doorway has been inserted through the ground floor. There is a cast-iron bearing housing on each of the intermediate floors, all now infilled with brick, indicating there was possibly a rope drive up this end of the mill. There is also a brick-infilled roundel to the third and fourth floors, and two small windows to the top floor.

The north elevation is 27 openings wide, all aligned with those on the south frontage. The eighth bay from the east end was formerly abutted by a toilet stack, now removed and indicated only by wall rendering and infilled doorways at each mill level. There are doorways on the 23rd and 27th bays of the ground floor. The former is a metal roller shutter under an RSJ head inserted into an original window opening. The latter, with overlight, has been sheeted over.

The west gable was abutted at the left by a toilet stack all the way up, now removed and indicated only by wall render and infilled access doorways. The remainder of the ground floor is abutted by the turbine house. There are two 2×3-paned metal-framed windows to the fourth floor and a small 2×2 top-opening uPVC window to the top floor.

Turbine House

This single-storey, single-bay building abuts the west gable of the mill and dates from the mid-1830s. Now housing a water turbine, it formerly accommodated a 20-foot diameter by 22-foot wide iron breastshot waterwheel, of which there is no trace. The building is very derelict; its hipped natural slate roof has largely collapsed and all rainwater goods are missing. The walls are of random rubble blackstone, now ruinous along their wall heads, and embellished with stepped vee-jointed granite quoins at the west end. All openings have flattish red brick heads and jambs.

The north elevation contains a window opening (frame missing) and a sheeted-over door. The south elevation has a large opening, now inaccessible due to vegetation overgrowth. Both the headrace from the mill pond and tailrace back to the river are culverted on either side of this building.

Generator House

This now-derelict single-storey building abuts the west gable of the turbine house and possibly dates to the mid-1910s. It has a monopitched corrugated metal roof sloping down to the west. There are no rainwater goods. Walls are of red brick with moulded concrete copings and a blocking course to the north elevation.

The north elevation has two timber door openings (one glazed and set in an advanced wall panel) in shallow segmental-headed openings, both now sheeted over. The left half of the west elevation projects forward and contains two 3×1-paned timber windows with concrete cills, and an infilled doorway to its right cheek. The set-back section has an infilled doorway and a 6×6-paned metal-framed window at right with cement-rendered cill. The south elevation is largely obscured by a raised earth bank.

Just beyond this building is an operational electrical substation enclosed by a corrugated metal fence. There was another to its south, now removed.

Setting

This block sits at the south-west corner of the premises and is bounded to its immediate east, north and north-west by other units of the subdivided mill complex. To its south, behind an earth and stone embankment, is the former mill pond which supplied the waterwheel and turbine but which is now partially infilled and overgrown. The pond was supplied by a one-and-a-half-mile long headrace from two weirs across the river.