Grain Mills, 167 Drumsurn Road, Limavady, Co Londonderry, BT49 OPE

Grain Mills, Drumsurn Road, Limavady

A group of historic mill buildings of industrial archaeological interest, now partially obscured by modern mill structures. The complex dates from the early 19th century and includes a grain mill, a storage building, and a former mill owner's house, though a flax mill is recorded on the site from the 1830 Ordnance Survey Map.

The main grain mill building survives in sections at both gables, but the central portion has been demolished and replaced with a higher, wider modern space for grain storage using fork-lift trucks. At the southern end, the original mill machinery remains largely intact, including cogs with timber teeth. The mill wheel itself is intact apart from one damaged bucket and was manufactured by John A Taylor of Strabane Foundry. A date stone on the gable reads '1873'. The wheel receives water via a timber box connected to the mill race, with an 18-foot fall. A small room on the east side contains an electricity turbine, accessed via an external door on the gable. A 300mm diameter pipe runs four metres south from the wheel to a concrete turbine house projecting from the mill race, though a turbine was never installed here. The kiln house at the far end has been stripped of internal features, with exterior openings blocked; its basalt gable features brick quoins to first floor level, with brick above, and later repairs in concrete block near the roof and brick near the eaves.

The second building, situated 20 metres to the north and aligned east-west, serves as a storage building. It is two storeys tall, constructed of basalt with brick trim at corners and window openings. A sandstone date stone on the east gable, trimmed in brick, reads '1892' (with the '9' reversed). The roof is of natural slate. The west end is notable for a ground level significantly higher than the eastern portion, and the first floor is open across the entire gable. A one-bay extension at the west end, built of brick and likely of a different date, aligns with this raised ground level.

The third building of note is the former mill owner's house, positioned between the two other structures and aligned east-west. It has been substantially altered on the exterior, with modern wet-dash rendering and asbestos slates covering the roof. At the west end, mill offices feature two modern windows and a chamfered corner. A large fireplace, reflecting the wealth of the former inhabitants, survives within the house and is of particular interest as evidence of late 19th-century domestic and industrial organisation.

Modern renovations have significantly reduced the historic architectural quality of the group. However, the preservation of the mill wheel, working machinery, and water sluices remains unusually good. From upstream, the mill, wheel, river, and surrounding trees form a picturesque composition.