Former Flax Mill, 11 Carnanbane Road, Dungiven, Co Londonderry, BT47 4BR

This is a stone-built former flax mill, likely dating from the late 18th or early 19th century. It is situated on Carnanbane Road, near Dungiven, County Londonderry, and is set parallel to the hillside with a millrace cut into the slope behind. The building has a rectangular plan and is composed of random rubble sandstone construction with a slate roof. It originally comprised two storeys and three bays, with a gable facing the Owenrigh River.

The west-facing side, overlooking the river, features a single door opening with a wooden lintel, flanked by rectangular window openings, one of which is louvred. Above the louvred window is a narrow door opening, with its threshold resting on the wooden lintel. Above the other two ground-floor openings are two square, louvred opening also with wooden lintels. A corbel course of sandstone runs along the eaves, supporting the slate roof. The Bangor blue slates are in poor condition with some missing. The north and south gables have crude, in-situ concrete barges, with the north gable’s barge partially collapsed. There is no ridge tile or gutters. The north gable has a large, square-headed opening, likely enlarged to accommodate lorries or modern farm machinery and finished with concrete blocks. Evidence suggests a previous pitched roof abutted this gable. The east wall is largely blank, integrated into the hillside. A corrugated iron roofed store is attached to the south gable.

The mill is shown on an Ordnance Survey map from 1830 when the townland was owned by Stewart Bruce. Ordnance Survey Memoirs from 1833-34 describe the mill as having a breast water mill with a 13-foot diameter wheel, operating for an average of 12 weeks per year. Later ownership passed to Andrews and then to the Murphy family, now McLaughlin. The mill was formerly used as a mill, and is now used as a store.