Silverbrook Mills, 90 Brook Road, Donemanagh, Strabane, Co Tyrone, BT82 0RX

Silverbrook Mills is a complex of historic mill buildings situated on the east side of Brook Road, Donemanagh, in the townland of Rousky. The complex developed throughout the 19th century into a working hub of corn, linen and timber production, and it is notably rare to find a corn mill, flax mill and saw mill grouped so closely together and powered by the same mill race. This combination gives the buildings considerable group value as well as historical and architectural interest for the local area.

The earliest element is the corn mill, built around 1830. It is two storeys tall, L-shaped on plan, with a single-storey gabled extension added to the south around 1880 at a time of improvements. The flax mill dates from around 1850 and is one-and-a-half storeys tall, rectangular on plan. Both principal mills share the same construction: walls of roughly coursed rubble with fieldstone quoins, pitched roofs of natural slate with concrete ridge tiles over timber eaves, and square-headed timber-framed 4-pane casement windows with stone lintels. Rainwater goods throughout are cast-iron half-round gutters and round downpipes.

The corn mill occupies the north-west of the complex. Its principal elevation faces west and appears single-storey to the left owing to the topography of the site. On this elevation there is a large camber-headed opening at first-floor level with brick voussoirs, containing vertically-sheeted timber double doors; at the centre is a similar opening flanked to the left by a single window; and to the right is a square-headed opening with matching double doors at first-floor level. The north elevation is blank. On the east elevation, a single window sits at first-floor level, and at ground-floor level the wall is abutted by a wall-mounted breast-shot cast-iron waterwheel with a brick surround to the shaft opening; the projecting wing to the right of this elevation is blank. The south elevation is abutted at ground-floor level on the right by the single-storey extension, which contains a single window facing south. Notably, there is an unusual carved stone human face at the top left of this elevation. The west elevation of the extension contains a vertically-sheeted timber door and window; its east elevation has a single window. A timber sluiceway and tail race lie to the east, bounded by a rubble retaining wall. The corn mill to the north-west has replacement concrete eaves.

The flax mill stands to the north-east of the complex. Its principal elevation faces south and consists of a large square-headed opening in a rebated surround with red brick quoins, containing vertically-sheeted timber double sliding doors supported on a timber rail to the head. A wall-mounted cast-iron waterwheel abuts the building to the right of this elevation, and a pair of fixed metal rooflights are set into the roof slope. The west gable contains a round-arched window opening with a red brick surround. The north and east elevations are blank.

Directly to the south of the flax mill waterwheel stands a detached one-and-a-half-storey saw mill. Its roof is corrugated asbestos sheeting; the principal elevation is lime-rendered, with exposed rubble elsewhere. Window and door openings on the east and west elevations contain vertically-sheeted timber doors. A pitched corrugated metal open shed abuts the saw mill to the north-east.

At the centre of the complex, to the north, is a detached single-storey former dwelling. Its pitched roof is natural slate with lime-rendered chimneys to the north end. The walls are lime-washed rubble over a painted plinth. Windows are square-headed 2-over-4 sliding sashes with painted stone sills. The principal elevation faces west and contains two windows and a vertically-sheeted timber half-door. The north gable is blank. The east elevation contains two windows, and the south gable has a window at ground-floor level and a further window at attic level.

To the south of the main mill group is a detached one-and-a-half-storey outbuilding, detailed in the same manner as the mill buildings. It has a vertically-sheeted timber entrance door to the north, a single window to the attic in the west gable, and three fixed metal rooflights on the north and south roof slopes.

Further to the south of the car park stands another one-and-a-half-storey building, now largely overgrown, with whitened rubble walling visible.

The entire complex sits within private grounds. It is bounded to the north by the mill race, to the west and south by recent rubble walling surmounted by timber fencing, with access through a pair of diagonally-sheeted gates supported by circular rubble piers.

The documentary history of the site is well evidenced. Buildings appear on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1832–33, with two structures captioned "Corn Mill." By the second edition of 1854 the complex is captioned "Corn Mill and Kiln," and by the third edition of 1905 it is named "Silverbrook Mills" with a flax mill added to the site and two sluices captioned. In the Townland Valuation of 1828–40, a pencilled entry added after 3rd September 1833 records "Dwelling, Mill and Corn Kiln not measured but valued by Mr Ky at £4. Name of proprietor wanting."

Griffith's Valuation of 1856–64 records a Davidson Kays occupying the mill and leasing it from James Ogilby. The complex is listed as comprising a corn mill, kiln, miller's house, flax mill and waste. The corn mill was valued at £8 10s (later raised to £11), the miller's house at £10 (later deleted), and the flax mill and waste at £4 (later reduced to £3 10s). Dimensions are recorded for the buildings. A note on the corn mill states: "Wheel diameter 12ft 6in, breadth 2ft 9in, depth bucket 1ft, undershot fall 10ft 6in, water let on at level of axle. Works one pair of stones 5ft diameter, 5 months in the year, 9 hours a day." The flax mill is recorded as having a "wheel 12ft diameter, 2ft 6in wide and 9in depth, fall about 9ft, water let on at level of axle. Works 3 scutching stocks 4 months of the year, 9 hours a day."

The Annual Revision Records covering 1860 to 1924 show the flax mill remaining with the Kays family throughout. In 1880 John Dunn took over the corn mill, with its valuation rising to £18 10s, indicating improvements or rebuilding at that time — consistent with the construction of the single-storey southern extension. James Magill became occupier in 1901. By the first General Revaluation in 1933, James Magill was still occupying both mills, leasing them from R.A. Ogilby, and was himself the lessor of two houses on the site.

A 1935 description by James Magill records the corn mill as "a small corn mill, one pair of stones used for crushing oats for surrounding farmers from October to April, in operation sometimes two and sometimes three days per week." The valuer noted it was working between October and March on 30 to 40 bags per week, approximately 500 bags per annum, and that a saw mill had recently been started in part of the farm buildings and part of the flax mill. The valuation of the corn mill was reduced from £8 10s to £6, with £3 10s for outbuildings. Two houses were also listed on the site, valued at £3 5s and £1 respectively; the larger was slated and the smaller consisted of one room and a kitchen.

In 1933 the flax mill was described as being "at rest," with dimensions given for the mill and two stores of rubble masonry and slate. The mill was recorded as having four stocks and one roller. By 1936 the valuer noted: "This mill will start to work in about three weeks' time and is expected to continue working for 6–7 months. Last year worked 8 months. Year before 2 months. Last year scutched 18 tons approximately." The valuation was consequently raised from £4 to £8.

In the early 21st century, Donemana and District Community Association Ltd undertook a restoration project to open the mills as a tourist venue with tea rooms and a gift shop. The project was funded by the International Fund for Ireland, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Strabane District Partnership and Strabane District Council. As part of this work, the waterwheels were rebuilt and the machinery reinstated to accurately represent the workings of the mill buildings. A site visit in October 2012 found that the facility had since proved unsustainable and was closed to the public, with some deterioration to limewash and similar finishes evident. The restoration was nonetheless considered accurate, with little modern influence visible beyond 21st-century fencing and a gravelled car park. The buildings remain in their original setting, with the head race to the north.