Mount Mills Former Corn Mill Glen Road Drummiller Newry Co.Down BT34 1QS

Mount Mills — Former Corn Mill Site, Glen Road, Drummiller, Newry, Co. Down

Overview

Mount Mills is a former corn mill complex situated on the west side of Glen Road, approximately 3.5 miles north-west of Newry, immediately north of the Newry Bypass at the Sheepbridge exit. The site most likely dates from around 1800 and comprises three surviving historic structures — a former corn kiln (Building A), a former corn mill (Building B), and a former grain store (Building C) — together with a former Drover's Cottage on the north side of the site. The complex is accessed via a laneway running from the Glen Road entrance on the north-east side towards the south-west. Mount Mill Bridge lies immediately to the east of the complex on Glen Road, and a scheduled motte lies to the south-west. The surrounding countryside is open on all sides.

Although the complex retains features of interest — most notably a barrel-vaulted brick ceiling in the former mill building and remnants of machinery — it has suffered significant losses of historic fabric, including the waterwheel and millrace, the original roofs to both the kiln and mill buildings, and original windows and internal floors. These losses mean it falls below the threshold for statutory listing, but it nonetheless represents a good example of a historic building of local industrial archaeological interest.

The Buildings

Building A — Former Corn Kiln: A two-storey, rectangular-plan structure built of stone, with a pitched artificially tiled roof, oriented north-east to south-west. The north-west elevation presents tall random-coursed, rock-faced granite walling, with a door opening to the far right and two steel pattress plates visible on the façade; vegetation obscured part of this elevation at the time of survey. The south-west gable end shows two openings visible through vegetation: a ground-floor door opening with red brick jambs roughly at centre, and an attic-level window opening retaining remnants of a metal window frame. Large quoin stones are present at each corner. The gable wall leans towards the south-east, towards the river. The south-east elevation, viewed from the south side of the river, shows openings to the left side and approximate centre, with vegetation obscuring the remainder; it was not accessible at ground level. The north-east gable end was partially visible from the laneway but was obscured by vegetation at the time of survey.

Building B — Former Corn Mill: A large stone building oriented north-east to south-west. The southern section has been re-roofed with corrugated metal sheeting, while the northern section is derelict and roofless. 20th-century cement-rendered and concrete block farm structures are attached to the north-west side. The building drops down the hillside towards the river on the south-east side and is aligned with a former millrace — now filled in — that was diverted from the Newry River. The north-west elevation was not seen at the time of survey, being obscured by the attached farm structures. The south-west gable elevation is largely obscured by vegetation, though stonework is visible at ground-floor level with a door opening to the right side featuring brick voussoirs. The south-east elevation shows rubblestone walling brought to courses on the left section, largely obscured by vegetation; the right section is largely derelict, with large trees and vegetation growing through what is now a large opening, and only remnants of stonework remain. The former waterwheel is no longer extant.

Building C — Former Grain Store: A three-storey former grain store facing south-east towards the river, built into the bank to the rear. Walling is of random-coursed rock-faced granite with red brick dressings, and the roof is pitched natural slate. The south-east elevation is asymmetrical, with a ground-floor door opening off-centre towards the left, and a single window opening to each side with red brick surrounds. First- and second-floor window openings are aligned vertically above those at ground floor. No windows remain extant, though some granite cills survive. The south-west elevation is built into the bank and appears to be a blind façade, largely obscured by vegetation. The north-west elevation was not seen at the time of survey. The north-east elevation is a three-storey blind façade built into the bank, with a raised red brick verge.

Materials: Walls of random-coursed rock-faced granite; roof of natural slate and artificial slate; no windows or rainwater goods remaining.

History

The site lies within the townland of Drummiller, the name of which is thought to be an anglicisation of the Irish Droim Iolair, meaning "ridge of the eagle," and has no known connection with the adjacent scheduled motte to the south-west.

The earliest record of Mount Mills appears on an estate map of 1805 showing the holdings of local landlord Arthur Innes in the Manor of Glen. The map depicts three structures, the river (captioned "Blackwater River"), and the local road network, including the site of a bridge yet to be constructed — later known as Mount Mill Bridge. The mill is recorded as part of the lands of "Captain Innes" but no tenant is listed. The fact that the bridge had not yet been built suggests the mill was constructed shortly before 1805. Buildings A and B appear to predate the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834, while Building C first appears on the second edition of 1859, meaning it was constructed between 1834 and 1859. However, buildings on the site were destroyed by fire on several occasions — in 1834, 1837, 1840, and 1853 — and subsequently rebuilt each time, making it difficult to determine how much original fabric survived. Dating of the surviving structures must therefore remain tentative.

By 1829, Mount Mill was being advertised for letting, described as having "command of Water sufficient to drive the most powerful machinery" and comprising a corn mill, kiln, and scutch mill (of which no further trace appears in the primary records). The property was owned by the landlord Mr Innes, with enquiries directed to his agent Richard Waring.

By 1834 the mill was in the hands of William Walmsley of Preston in Lancashire, one of a number of English grain merchants who came to Newry from Preston for trade purposes. Other such families active in the area included the Luptons and the Cardwells, the Luptons operating a business in Bridge Street and a flour mill in Dominic Street, Newry. Mount Mill at this time was exclusively devoted to grain processing and gave "employment to a number of persons and a ready and advantageous market" to local farmers.

The mill was totally destroyed by fire in December 1834: the roof caved in, the machinery was destroyed, and 1,500 sacks of oatmeal ready for shipment were lost. Fire-damaged oatmeal, wheat flour, and bran were subsequently sold at Walmsley's store at Merchant's Quay, Newry. The mill was swiftly repaired, and by 1836 the Mount Mill Stores at Merchant's Quay were advertising oatmeal, flour, mill dust, and meal seeds for sale, as well as Wigan Coal — likely used to fill ships on return journeys to England.

A second destructive fire occurred in December 1837. The insurance companies' fire engine in Newry was dispatched but the roof had already fallen in and fire had reached the doors and windows of the kiln, described as being twelve feet from the mill. The fire engine was directed at the kiln and managed to save it. Nearly £4,000 worth of machinery, meal, and flour was destroyed, only partially covered by insurance. Walmsley advertised for sale 120 tons of fire-damaged oatmeal in the aftermath.

The Townland Valuation of 1838 identifies William Walmsley as the resident proprietor. At that time the site comprised a corn mill measuring 69 by 46 by 28 feet, and a corn kiln and store measuring 43.6 by 26 by 28 feet, corresponding to Buildings B and A respectively. The mill is noted as having six pairs of millstones, a good supply of water power, and a good situation; the total holding including the dwelling house was valued at £46 9s. The quality mark indicates both buildings were slated and not in disrepair at the time of valuation, suggesting either that rebuilding had already been completed after the 1837 fire or that the valuation predated it.

William Walmsley died at Mount Mills in July 1838, leaving a young son not yet of age to take over. His brother Seth Walmsley, not resident in Ireland, took over the mill. In August 1838 Seth's nephew William Cook, also from Preston, arrived in Newry to manage the mill and farm on his uncle's behalf. Cook kept a diary for the years 1838 to 1841 (later serialised in a local newspaper in the 1950s but not apparently deposited in a public archive), which provides detailed information about the mill and about life in early Victorian Newry.

Immediately following Walmsley's death the mill was seized by force, apparently by the widow's family. The five millwrights were idle for two and a half days until Joseph Lupton — a colleague from another Preston grain-dealing family — retook the mill, being obliged to break a window to gain entry. Walmsley's widow died in early September 1838 at the age of 25; rumours of poisoning led to a coroner's inquest, which returned a verdict of death "by the visitation of God." Work stopped at the mill until after the funeral. Cook took possession of the dwelling house as soon as the widow's body left, arming himself with a brace of loaded pistols in anticipation of a confrontation.

In the days following, Cook measured the carpenters' work, the walls (making deductions for old walls left standing), and the brickwork to provide evidence for the insurance company. He assessed damage to the kiln — mainly to the windows, estimated at 10 shillings per window — and was required to draw a plan of the millstones and elevations of the buildings so the insurers could be "satisfied as to the construction of the mill, the contents on the several floors before another policy will be given for insuring in future." The mill was subsequently insured for £700 with the "Sun" insurance company and £850 with the "Atlas," covering the machinery, millstones, and water wheels as well as walls, roofing, and flooring. Building work supervised by Cook at this time appears to have involved the rebuilding of Building B, including the measuring and purchasing of walling stone at 1s 1d a perch and "building walls for sleepers and fitting up the metal posts for the support of beams" — cast-iron columns that a later industrial archaeology survey recorded as having once supported the mill floors.

On the night of 6th January 1839 — the night of the "Big Wind" — Cook was at Mount Mills and recorded that the mill, kiln, and house had "suffered in the roofs." In February 1839, Cook together with the landlord's agent Richard Waring, the architect Thomas Duff, and Joseph Lupton inspected the newly erected mill on behalf of the Court of Chancery for the satisfaction of the landlord, Master Innes, who was a minor at that time; a sum of £900 from the insurance payment, held back by Waring, was then released. It is unclear whether Duff had designed the rebuilt mill building or was providing independent advice; he is chiefly known as the architect of churches, courthouses, and market houses in the Newry and Armagh areas.

The widow's family brought a case in Chancery Court on behalf of Walmsley's infant son, accusing Seth Walmsley of conspiring to deprive the child of his rights. The mill was idle throughout 1838 following the fire, and poor weather in the autumn of 1839 destroyed much of the local wheat and oats crop. Seth Walmsley subsequently offered the mill to rent to brothers Joseph and Will Lupton at £150 per annum "or less, if too much," and this offer was accepted. In late October 1840, the mill was again totally destroyed by fire, including nearly 300 lbs of meal, £10 to £12 in notes and silver, Will Lupton's gun, the books, and milling machinery including flour cylinders and a grindstone. No fire engine was sent by the insurance company, and one of the insurance policies had only been received on the morning of the fire. Cook feared "rigid scrutiny as to the origin of the fire" but left Mount Mill in January 1841 before the insurance matter was settled.

The mill remained the subject of dispute between Seth Walmsley and the widow's family for several years. Joseph Lupton remained in control until 1845, after which, following advertisements for a new tenant, a William Sinclair took over by the end of 1846. A term of the lease prohibited the grinding of seeds, "the same being expressly forbidden in the policy of Insurance effected on said Mills and Premises," owing to the risk of generating sparks. Sinclair was affected in December 1846 by rumours that his oatmeal and Indian meal were adulterated with "whiting and bone-dust," and offered a £50 reward for the name of the person spreading the slander.

During the Famine years of 1845 to 1852 the mill frequently advertised Indian corn (maize) meal for sale, maize having been imported to Ireland in greater quantities than ever before during this period. Despite the precautions taken, fire broke out again in the drying kiln in October 1853, totally destroying the kiln and about 20 tons of oats. The fire was judged accidental; the kiln had not been insured as it had been seldom in use. By November 1856, Sinclair had gone into partnership with a Mr Walker, and Messrs Sinclair & Walker remained proprietors until the young William Walmsley came of age in 1859.

Sinclair & Walker added a new kiln to the site around 1859 — possibly a rebuild of the one destroyed in 1853. William Walmsley, upon coming of age, married Rachel Ann Savage of the Glen, Lurganare, and advertised Mount Mills to let, noting that "the capacity of the Mount Mills for grinding are well known." The next tenant, from around 1860, was Thomas Cardwell, of another Preston grain milling family and possibly also related to the Walmsleys. Cardwell was born in Preston and was a partner in the grain merchant firm Cardwell & Holden, with premises in Edward Street, Newry. The mill was said to have been "but casually used" before Cardwell took over, but he was able to make the work constant. The mill was described as a "neat structure, on which Mr Cardwell has laid out a considerable sum."

The second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1859 shows three buildings on the site captioned "Mount Corn Mill," with Building C newly depicted to the north-east of Building B.

Griffith's Valuation of 1861 records Thomas Cardwell leasing the mill from William Walmsley; it was valued at £70. The site at that time comprised three three-storey structures and two single-storey structures or lean-tos. The dimensions of the two larger structures correspond approximately to those recorded in the 1838 Townland Valuation, suggesting that even after repeated fires and rebuildings, the structures were rebuilt to the same dimensions. The additional building, with dimensions 36 by 30 by 22 feet, corresponds approximately to Building C and was used for the storage of grain and/or meal — possibly constructed to protect mill produce from fire should the mill burn again. The corn mill machinery, classified as B minus in Griffith's, comprised one pair of Irish shelling stones, four pairs of grinding stones (of which two pairs were French burr stones — imported stones built up of shaped blocks of freshwater quartz quarried in the Paris basin, valued for producing white flour from wheat), two sets of fans and sifters, and four sets of elevators, all working simultaneously for eight months of the year, night and day. A further two sets of French burr stones and two sets of elevators worked together grinding Indian corn (maize) for four months annually, night and day.

Thomas Cardwell died in 1877. Although the mill was advertised for relet as "capable of doing a large trade," with a good water supply, ample storage, and machinery "in good working order, with an excellent kiln attached," no suitable tenant came forward. By 1879 the valuation books record the mill as "at rest," with the valuation reduced to £47, the value of water power having been deducted. By 1886 the valuation had been further reduced to £20 as the vacancy became well established. William Walmsley died in 1894 and his wife Rachel in 1901. The mill site was subsequently taken over by Patrick Rooney, who carried out improvements to the dwelling house in 1903. By 1908 the mill buildings had been revalued as farm outbuildings at £8 10s, the valuer noting that the lower storeys were "of no utility" and were excluded from the valuation. Dimensions recorded at this time correspond approximately to those in both Griffith's Valuation and the Townland Valuation, confirming that the buildings retained the same dimensions throughout their history.

The 1911 census records James and Patrick Rooney, described as cattle exporters, as resident at Mount Mills, together with Patrick's wife and young son and three domestic servants, one of whom had been born in America. The Rooney brothers were identified in contemporary sources as among the largest cattle exporters in Ireland in the early 20th century. They are related to the Pittsburgh Rooney family: James and Mary Rooney (their precise relationship to the brothers is unclear) emigrated from Newry to the United States in the 1840s during the Famine. Their great-grandson Art Rooney became the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football franchise, and his son Dan Rooney served as US Ambassador to Ireland. The farm and former mills were let out several times during the 1940s and 1950s, but the Rooney family appear to have retained an interest until at least the mid-20th century. The mill does not appear to have operated as a working mill after 1880.

A 1963 industrial archaeology survey by E.R.R. Green recorded that the mill floors were once supported by cast-iron columns and identified the building stone as mixed Silurian and granite with "roughly dressed granite quoins," but noted that the former mill building (Building B) had "recently collapsed" at the time of publication.

Today the farm and mill buildings are in the ownership of Jim Magill, who operates a seed processing business — Mount Mills cold-pressed flax oil — in modern buildings on the site, using flax grown on his own farm.