Former flax mill opp. 20 Mill Road, Hilltown, Newry, Co Down, BT34 5UZ

This ruinous two-storey, two-bay waterpowered flax scutching mill stands opposite 20 Mill Road, Hilltown, Newry, County Down. It is aligned northeast-southwest on the southeastern side of Mill Road, on the left bank of the River Bann and was formerly known as Campbell’s Mill. The mill is primarily of local interest, reflecting the historical importance of flax growing in the area, though significant losses have occurred and the original machinery is now gone.

The building has a pitched natural slate roof with no rainwater goods. The walls are of random rubble construction with advanced brick eaves. The southeastern elevation features a segmental brick-headed opening at its centre, where the internal waterwheel was formerly located. This wheel pit is 1.3 metres wide and has a curved apron of dressed masonry to the back. Behind this pit are the remnants of a vertical timber sluice gate; its exit suggests a breast-shot waterwheel configuration. The tailrace has been culverted to the river. To the left of the wheel pit is a ground-floor door and a first-floor window, both incorporating brick surrounds. The section to the right has a ground-floor door and a first-floor loading door with a shuttered opening. The left gable has a ground-floor door, which is now infilled. The rear elevation (northwest facing towards the road) is partly abutted at the left by a one-and-a-half storey return, featuring a first-floor loading door in the gable and a first-floor window in the return’s cheek. The main block to the left of the return has a first-floor window. To the right of the headrace intake are a window, a door, a window and a loading door respectively, all at ground floor, and a first-floor loading door. Much of this elevation is obscured by recent dumping and heavy vegetation. The right gable has a ground-floor door, protected by a stone relieving arch.

The mill was shown as a flax mill on an 1833 Ordnance Survey map. By 1859, it also operated as a corn mill. Valuation records from around 1862 indicated the flax mill had eight stocks, while the corn mill had two pairs of stones and a set of fans. In 1866, the flax mill was repaired, and a new store was added, likely corresponding to the brick-trimmed building present today. By 1886, the corn mill was used as a store, while the flax mill remained in operation and is labelled as such on the 1902 Ordnance Survey map. It appears to have seen use during World War II.