Remains of former Burren Mill, at 23 Market Road, Burrenreagh, Castlewellan, BT31 9HL

Remains of Former Burren Mill

The much altered remains of a corn and flax mill dating to before 1834, now converted to farm outbuildings. The complex stands to the north-west of Market Road, approximately one mile south-west of Castlewellan.

The mill comprises an L-shaped group of mainly two-storey buildings arranged around a large iron water wheel. The wheel, approximately 4.3 metres in diameter with timber spokes, is positioned in the narrow gap between two separate gabled buildings and was breast-shot in operation. Both buildings are one room deep. The south-west building is L-shaped with a set-back portion, part of which is single-storey with a natural slate roof. The remainder of both structures are covered in recent rough-cast render, corrugated iron roofing, and PVC rainwater goods. Modern-looking door openings with timber sheeted and corrugated iron doors are scattered across the north-west and north-east facades, and some or all appear to be recent insertions.

The inner gables of the two-storey buildings are unrendered, revealing rubble construction. When viewed from the south-east, where ground level is higher, the entire grouping appears single-storey. The unrendered gables clearly show the building's original fabric and the scale of the water wheel that powered machinery in both structures.

Historically, the mill dam was located on the south-west side of Market Road, with the mill race running across what is now the farmyard to supply the water wheel. Documentary sources confirm this was a water-powered complex also containing two two-storey dwellings, a large three-storey corn kiln, and two and three-storey outbuildings or offices. Valuation records from around 1836 describe the buildings as being of significant age (perhaps fifty years old or more at that date) and confirm the mill was operated by Bartholomew McAnulty. The 1859 Ordnance Survey map labels the site "Burren Corn Mill". By 1863, the complex remained under McAnulty family ownership with a rateable value of £18. A steam engine was installed in the later 19th century, marked by a brick chimney stack positioned at the south end of the complex; this chimney has since been demolished. The mills appear to have changed hands by 1870, when they are recorded under William Conalty in Slater's Directory. Milling on the site ceased sometime in the first half of the 20th century, and by around 1960 all machinery had been removed and the buildings converted to farm use.

Comparison with the 1834 and 1859 Ordnance Survey maps suggests the present mill buildings may have been subsequently lowered, rebuilt, or the ground level raised, as they appear smaller than the structures recorded in contemporary documents. To the east of the former mill stands a modern house, which appears to have replaced the earlier miller's dwelling. Evidence remains of other demolished structures on the site.

The complex is of industrial archaeological interest as a surviving example of 19th-century milling infrastructure, retaining its original water wheel despite extensive modern alteration to the buildings themselves.