Blackstaff Mill, 77-129 Springfield Rd, Belfast, Co Antrim, BT12 7AE

Blackstaff Mill is a multi-bay four-storey brick flax spinning mill built between 1864 and 1866, heightened around 1900, to which a three-storey brick flax preparing mill was added in the early 1900s. The surviving structures relating to its former operation as a spinning mill comprise five main components: the Old Mill, engine house, New Mill, yarn drying loft, and chimney.

Old Mill

This building stands four storeys high with a windowless attic and extends 25 openings wide. It dates from 1864 to 1866 and is part-occupied by small business units. The replacement profiled metal roof has hipped ends, with the valley between its original double pitches now sheeted over. Moulded brackets run along the eaves above a cream-brick platband. The walls throughout are of brick, with a slight difference in brickwork colour indicating the later addition of the attic floor sometime during the late 1800s. Modern uPVC gutters and downpipes have replaced earlier rainwater goods. All openings have segmental brick heads and stone cills.

The principal south-east elevation features miscellaneous doors and windows at ground floor level. Several doorways appear to be enlarged original windows, whilst all windows have been infilled with concrete blockwork with smaller windows inserted within. Almost all upper floor windows have relatively recent 2-by-3-pane timber frames, though two openings retain their previous 2-by-4-pane fenestration.

At the left (north-west) end of this elevation, a two-bay section stands five storeys high and encompasses two phases of construction. At the rear is a small block containing a stairwell and lift serving the Old Mill and yarn drying loft, possibly added at the same time as the attic. At the front is a later extension, possibly added to house rope drives when the power plant was upgraded in the first decade of the 1900s. This two-bay section has a flat concrete roof without any embellishment to the wall heads. Its south-west elevation has a concrete-headed door and infilled segmental-headed window at ground floor, with 2-by-3-pane and 2-by-4-pane timber-framed windows to upper floors. It is partly abutted at the north-west by the engine house and to the north-east by the drying loft. Its north-east end (the earlier phase) is slightly raised and has pairs of windows to the exposed upper section of its north-west elevation.

The north-east elevation of the main section has miscellaneous doorways and windows at ground floor level, all of which have been infilled to some extent. Modern 2-by-3-pane timber-framed windows appear at the upper floors, and there are vestiges of one toilet stack constructed with a reinforced-concrete frame and brick infill panels. This is a replacement of a previous toilet stack, of which there were originally several. The right-hand end of this elevation is partly abutted by the engine house.

The building has red brick walls in Flemish bond, a replacement profiled metal sheet roof, replacement uPVC rainwater goods, replacement roller shutter doors, and replacement 2-by-3-pane timber windows.

Engine House

This single-storey building abuts the ground floor and part of the first floor of the Old Mill's north-west gable. It may date from around 1908 when the new boiler house and chimney were erected. It has a pitched corrugated-asbestos roof with raised brick gables and a blocking course coped with moulded brick. Modern uPVC rainwater goods have replaced earlier fittings. Its south-west gable has a small flat-headed window and segmental-headed door. Five openings run along its north-west elevation, four of which have semicircular cream-brick heads. All have been modified to some degree. A moulded cream-brick string course runs across this face at arch spring level.

The rear of the building rises to the second floor of the mill and originally enclosed a rope drive from the engine to each floor of the mill. It has a profiled metal roof, brick walls, and two segmental-headed windows (both now infilled) on its south-west face. The walls are red brick in Flemish bond, with replacement plastic rainwater goods, replacement roller shutter doors, and either infilled or replacement timber casement windows.

New Mill

This building was added to the south-east gable of the Old Mill in the early 1900s, probably between 1907 and 1912, and formerly contained hackling and tow preparation machinery. It stands three storeys high and is 15 openings wide along its north-east side. It is currently part-occupied by small business units.

Its north-west gable is abutted by a five-storey, two-opening-wide section which appears to have been built in two phases. The rear part contains a stairwell and lift serving the Old Mill and is probably contemporary with the attic floor. The front part, which interconnects with the rear section, also contains stairs serving the New Mill. The exposed front section of the Old Mill's gable is blank, but the exposed rear section has a window to each upper floor, one now infilled. This two-opening-wide staircase section has a flat concrete roof and brick walls. It has a blocking parapet to the front, but the wall head of its rear elevation is coped with moulded brackets over a cream-brick platband. On its south-west elevation is a full-width roller-shuttered door at ground floor and pairs of windows of varying sizes to the upper floors, some of which have been modified or partly infilled. Its rear elevation has a staggered pair of windows to each of its upper floors (2-by-4-pane metal frames and 2-by-3-pane timber frames). The ground floor of this elevation is abutted by a single-storey toilet with a flat concrete roof, brick walls, and small high-level metal-framed windows with concrete heads and cills.

The main section of the New Mill has a flat concrete roof with a brick blocking parapet around with moulded coping. Modern uPVC rainwater downpipes have replaced earlier rectangular metal pipes, though vestiges of the latter remain. The walls throughout are red brick. All openings have segmental brick heads unless otherwise stated, and all windows have cast-iron cills.

The principal south-west elevation features at ground floor left a passage through to the back of the building. It has a flat metal head and is trimmed with purple brick, with cast-iron cartwheel protectors at the base of its jambs. Internally, it has a brick jack-arch ceiling and a set of trap doors for a goods hoist. Some of the other original external openings at ground floor have been enlarged to form doorways into small industrial units (with roller shutters), whilst others have been infilled with concrete blockwork. The first-floor and second-floor openings all have 4-by-5-pane metal-framed windows with central opening sections; some also have secondary glazing behind.

The right-hand (south-east) end of this elevation was formerly abutted by a stairwell and lift shaft which also served another building running south-west towards Springfield Road. With the removal of the stairwell, this section of wall has been rendered with cement and the connecting doors in the upper floors converted to window openings (2-by-4-pane to first floor, 2-by-2-pane to second floor, all with timber frames and recycled stone cills).

The south-east gable was originally five openings wide but is now partly abutted by a modern canted brick addition containing a stairwell and lift serving this end of the New Mill. The exposed left-hand section of the gable is blank and that at right is two openings wide. There is a doorway and window at ground floor, and two windows to each of the upper floors. Some of the window openings have been infilled; some retain their 4-by-5-pane metal frames.

The north-east elevation faces onto the brick boundary wall. It is abutted at left by a single-storey, single-bay brick return with a flat concrete roof. There is no wall joint with the main building, indicating that it is contemporary. There are two doorways to its south-east elevation, both with replacement doors (metal with 2-by-2-pane overlight, and timber). Beside the return are the vestiges of a toilet stack which formerly served all floors. It is of reinforced concrete frame with brick panels; its top section is now missing. It is doubtless a replacement of a previous stack. Adjoining it is a modern single-storey brick extension with a profiled metal monopitch roof. The exposed sections of this elevation retain all their original openings. However, those at ground floor are mostly infilled. All the windows to the upper floors have 4-by-5-pane metal frames.

The New Mill has a flat reinforced-concrete roof, replacement uPVC rainwater goods, red brick walls in English Garden Wall bond, replacement roller shutter doors, and 4-by-5-pane metal windows.

Yarn Drying Loft

This four-storey building sits on the north-west corner of the Old Mill and appears to be contemporary with it (that is, mid-1860s). It has a hipped profiled metal roof and its walls are brick with advanced brick eaves. Its south-east elevation has a segmental-headed archway through at ground floor left. This opening is embellished with a dentilated moulded cream-brick cornice. The original relatively narrow segmental-headed openings to all floors have either been infilled or modified to take modern 1-by-2-pane uPVC-framed windows with concrete heads and cills, and new insertions have been made to all floors on the south-east, south-west, and north-west elevations.

This building is partly abutted by the engine room and by a two-storey brick annex with a profiled-metal monopitched roof and 1-by-2-pane uPVC windows with concrete heads and cills. The latter is, in turn, abutted by a modern two-storey garage-and-office block with a hipped artificial slate roof and brick walls.

The yarn drying loft has a hipped profiled metal roof, replacement uPVC rainwater goods, red brick walls in Flemish bond, replacement roller shutter doors, and replacement 1-by-2-pane uPVC windows.

Chimney

This structure is located at the north-west end of the site but now stands in isolation, disconnected from the now-demolished boiler house. Of slightly tapered profile, this octagonal brick chimney of around 1908 stands to its full height over a square brick base abutting the inside face of the brick boundary wall around the premises. Its quoins, string course near its top, and corbelled cap are all of purple engineering brick; the main walling is red brick in English Garden Wall bond. The shaft is reinforced with metal tie rods, to which assorted communication aerials and dishes have been attached. The south-east face of the base is painted and two electrical fans are attached to cool the equipment in a modern communications building adjoining it. Modern steel scaffolding around the top of the base supports a timber deck to catch any falling debris. The base is abutted at the south-west by a single-storey concrete-roofed building containing modern communications equipment and at the north-east by a corrugated-metal-roofed shed.

Setting

Weaving sheds formerly stood in front of the mill but this area has been redeveloped as retail outlets and a car park. Along the south-east side of the front yard is a modern multi-storey apartment block. A housing estate now occupies the cleared site of the former Milfort weaving factory behind the brick perimeter wall running along the back of the mill.