83 Milltown Road, Banbridge, Co Down, BT63 3SY

This was formerly a bleachworks, dating to around 1835. It comprised three- and four-storey blocks alongside office buildings. The construction varied, with walls of differing types and slated roofs. The ground floor of the three-storey block featured small-pane windows, while the remaining windows were double-hung with single vertical glazing bars. Initially, the complex was the largest bleachworks on the Bann river, achieving an output of 40,000 pieces in 1839, the largest in County Down. By 1863, it could handle 120,000 pieces of fabric, each 30 yards long, annually. Power was originally supplied by two iron breast wheels and two steam engines. In 1876, the owners, Smyths, established an iron works across the river, which has since been demolished. Bleaching operations ceased in the 1930s, and the buildings were stripped after the Second World War. An earlier, smaller “bleach mill” is depicted on an Ordnance Survey map from 1833. The site has since been redeveloped for housing and the original works buildings are now demolished. The complex is not listed, and holds neither architectural nor historical interest. This is noted as a partial survey.