Outbuildings at Annahavil House, Tullyboy Road, Moneymore, Magherafelt

An interesting group of stone-built farm buildings of around 1820, including ruins of a flax mill erected by the Drapers Company to improve farm production and estate management.

The complex comprises a haphazardly arranged group of farm outbuildings built of stone, some harled and whitewashed, and a former flax mill. The older farm buildings consist of a cart and coachhouse, a long barn, and a piggery, with the flax mill positioned at a little distance.

The cart and coachhouse is three bays long, partly one and a half storeys in height. The north elevation has three coach and cart openings, each with a three-centred arch. The ground slopes away, so the centre opening is taller than those flanking it, while the opening to the west is considerably lower with a loft floor above. The walls are built in random rubble blackstone with redbrick trim, and the roof is covered in natural slates. The west gable has external steps leading to a square-headed door giving access to the loft. The stonework is whitewashed. The east gable is windowless with whitewashed stonework and features a small bellcote with a gabled top, plain with bell and rope. The south wall, covered with vegetation, is probably windowless and was whitewashed. The building stands west of the dwelling house, with its east gable close to it.

The long outbuilding north of the dwelling house is four bays long, with one large square-headed opening, a large segmental-headed opening, then two small shuttered openings. A projecting return follows, with a lean-to slated roof and a door on the flanking wall with an external angle curved. The walls are harled and whitewashed, and the roof is natural slates. The gable is windowless with a semi-circular wall projecting from it which formerly contained a soil bed with an ornamental tree. The rear long wall has a run of four sliding doors, then a projecting canted bay with a shuttered square opening and further sliding doors. This building may have housed store cattle, with the sliding doors allowing them free access to the yard.

The piggery and duck house is an L-plan building built of stone, whitewashed, with a natural slate roof showing its age. The piggery bears a wooden plaque inscribed with the word "Annahavil". The name Annahavil means the marsh of the orchard and is in the parish of Derryloran.

The flax mill, situated some distance to the west of the dwelling house and close to the river, was burned down in 1935. It originally consisted of two long stone buildings in line: one to the north was single storey, the other two storeys. The mill is of particular interest because of its underground tail race, which runs under the river and rejoins it further downstream.

According to Curl's study of the Londonderry Plantation, Booth's report of 1827 included "a flax mill and store house at Annahavil" in a list of estate buildings. The Drapers Company, anxious to improve modern estate management in 1818, resolved to erect a scutching mill to improve the quality of dressed flax, identifying Annahavil as a suitable site because a mill-race already existed there. The buildings are shown on the 1832 Ordnance Survey map. Some of the buildings may have been supervised by Jesse Gibson, particularly the coach and cart house. The present owner states that his family has worked the farm and buildings for at least 200 years.