Corn Mill, Tully Td, Florencecourt, Co Fermanagh

Tully Mill Complex, Florence Court Demesne, Co. Fermanagh

This water-powered corn mill and associated kiln were built in the late 18th century (circa 1780–1799) by the Earl of Enniskillen as part of the Florence Court estate. The complex comprises three elements: a corn mill, a kiln, and associated waterworks including a millpond. It sits on the north-east side of a minor road along the northern boundary of Florence Court Demesne. Although of fairly standard design for its period, it has several points of particular note: the quality of the dressed stonework at eaves level, the presence of two drying floors in the kiln rather than the usual one, and the survival of cog-and-rung gearing serving two sets of millstones. The complex was recorded as derelict and of industrial archaeological interest, and was delisted on 29 January 2001.

The Corn Mill

The mill stands a short distance east of the kiln, on the left bank of the small river that supplied its water. It is a two-storey, single-bay rectangular building aligned east–west, measuring 11.10m x 7.01m in plan (36ft 5in x 23ft 0in) and standing to a maximum eaves height of 4.80m (15ft 9in). The roof has completely collapsed, though the gables show it was of half-hipped profile and originally slated, with stone ridge pieces. The walls are of squared and coursed rubble sandstone with finely dressed sandstone eaves — a feature of particular note. Brick is used on the inside of the door and window reveals. The walls are heavily overgrown with ivy but appear structurally sound. None of the door or window openings retains its frame.

The building is cut into the hillside so that only the first floor is visible on the north elevation. On this face there is a wide doorway just left of centre with a window opening to its left. Leaning against the wall to the right is a one-piece conglomerate bedstone measuring 152cm (60in) in diameter and 40cm thick at centre. The east gable is fully exposed on both floors. At ground floor centre is the main entrance, with a shallow segmental brick relieving arch over its dressed stone lintel; to the right is a narrow window opening with vertical metal security bars. At first floor level above the door is a further window opening, also with metal bars. The south elevation faces the river; just left of centre is a ground floor window opening, and at ground level at the left end is a small drainage hole from the pitwheel pit. The first floor on this elevation has no openings. The west gable has a window opening at first floor centre with security bars.

The external waterwheel is positioned just right of centre on the west gable. It is breast-shot and measures 427cm in diameter by 99cm in width (14ft x 3ft 3in). The axle is of wood, 46cm in diameter, with both bearings intact; the outer bearing sits on a concrete mounting block. The hubs are of cast iron, 91cm in diameter, and octagonal on the inside for keying onto the axle. There are two sets of eight oak arms, each 125mm x 100mm in cross section. The rims are of cast iron, each comprising eight bolted sections 33cm in depth; a crack in one rim has been repaired with two strips of wrought iron. The rims originally accommodated 40 angled wooden buckets, none of which survives. Metal tie bars between the rims held the buckets in place. Timber soleing 25mm thick was slotted into the inner circumference of the rims but has entirely rotted away. Part of the sluice gate controlling water flow to the wheel remains in situ, but the wooden trough that carried water from the headrace to the wheel is missing.

Although the mill machinery is completely ruinous, sufficient survives to make detailed recording worthwhile. The gearing is of particular interest as an example of cog-and-rung gear driving not just one set of millstones but two — the second being a mid-19th century insertion. This waterwheel is not original to the site; it was apparently brought from a corn mill at Killymackan townland around 1920, reflecting the fact that milling remained a viable enterprise in this area after the First World War. The mill ceased working around 1950.

The Kiln

The kiln stands on the roadside a short distance west of the mill. It is of T-plan, with the tail of the T pointing south towards the river. The east–west section forming the top of the T is the original block, comprising two storeys and two bays, measuring 9.47m x 4.90m in plan (31ft 1in x 16ft 1in) and standing to a maximum eaves height of 4.20m (13ft 9in). The north–south return has been added later, as is evident from the wall breaks where the two blocks meet. This addition is also two storeys high with a single bay, measuring 4.95m x 4.28m in plan (16ft 3in x 14ft 1in) and standing to the same eaves height of 4.20m (13ft 9in). The presence of two drying floors — one in each block — rather than the usual single floor is a feature of note; the second kiln block may have been added prior to 1834.

The roof has gone completely. The gables of the earlier section show it was of half-hipped profile and covered with natural slates. The profile of the return is indeterminate as its south gable apex has collapsed. The walls of the earlier block are of large squared sandstone blocks brought to courses; those of the addition are of smaller rubble stones laid randomly. Both sections have two courses of advanced brick eaves.

On the earlier block, the west gable faces the road and has a ground floor doorway at centre, with brick used in its right-hand jamb and remains of the door frame surviving. The north elevation is cut into the slope so only the first floor is exposed, with a doorway into the right bay and a small window opening to the left bay, both frameless. The east gable is blank. The south elevation is abutted at centre by the return; the exposed section to the left is blank, and to the right is a small doorway with a segmental brick head, with a first floor window opening directly above. The east and west walls of the return have no openings. The south gable of the return has a window opening at ground floor and at first floor; the ground floor opening has metal bars and brick reveals. This gable is now unstable: the sandstone head to the ground floor opening has slumped outwards and the one above has collapsed. Both blocks are considerably overgrown with ivy.

The Waterworks

To the north of the mill complex is a substantial millpond supplied by a headrace taken off the river and culverted under the road. The pond is now dry and overgrown with shrubs but remains intact. An open channel conveyed water from the pond to the wheel; the walls of this channel, which show evidence of concrete repairs, are beginning to fall inwards. At the south-east corner of the pond is a wide channel that conveyed water to Tully sawmill. After passing through the waterwheel, the water did not discharge back into the river but turned to join this channel from the pond and flow on to the sawmill.

Historical Background

A corn mill and kiln are shown at this location on the 1834 Ordnance Survey 6-inch map. The 1836 First Valuation describes the complex as comprising a corn mill, kilns, and a miller's house, all belonging to the Earl of Enniskillen and part of the Florence Court estate. The dimensions recorded at that time — mill: 36ft x 23ft x 15ft; kiln: 31ft x 16ft x 13ft; second kiln block: 16ft x 13ft x 19ft — accord with the present buildings apart from the slightly greater recorded height of the second kiln block. The mill is noted as having a single pair of stones and working (for valuation purposes) for six months of the year at twelve hours per day, generating toll income of approximately £25 per annum. The operator was George Walmsley. The 1835 Ordnance Survey Memoir confirms the wheel as breast-shot and 14ft in diameter.

The Second Valuation book of around 1860 records the mill as then having two pairs of stones, though only one worked at a time; George Walmsley remained the operator. The mill is described at this point as a poor mill, and the miller's house is noted as being within the adjoining demesne. The Valuation revision books record the Armstrong family taking over the lease in 1883 and the Nixon family in 1904. By the 1935 Valuation the mill was operated by Emily Nixon, with two stones powered by the 14ft diameter wheel, though it did little work as little corn was grown in the area. The annual rental on the mill, kilns, and house was £19 4s 0d.