The Flax Mill, Mary Brook, 11 Raleagh Road, Drummaconagher, Crossgar, Downpatrick, Co. Down, BT30 9JG

The Flax Mill

Extensive and largely complete small-scale Georgian vernacular rural milling complex dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries. The grouping comprises water-powered two-storey corn and flax mills and a single-storey stable block, all probably mid to late 1700s; a two-storey miller's house of 1837; and subsidiary structures including a small cottage and storehouse of circa 1840s. The complex was abandoned in the 1950s and lay largely derelict until the early 1970s, since when it has been restored with the corn mill operating until the late 1990s. All buildings share a uniform appearance with harled and whitewashed facades, slated roofs, Georgian paned sash windows and timber sheeted doors, complemented by traditional wrought iron farm gates, stone walling and simple gate pillars. To the rear of the house are large two and single storey wings, a section of which appears originally to have been a barn. The complex sits picturesquely at the end of a lane to the west of Raleagh Road, roughly two and a half miles east of Ballynahinch, with the Ballynahinch River immediately to the west and a mill pond to the south.

The flax mill occupies the north-west corner of the complex. It is a long two-storey gabled building set on a slope so that from the south it appears largely single storey. The facade is partly harled and partly unrendered rubble, all whitewashed, with a slated gabled roof. Two timber ventilation turrets sit on the south side of the roof, with cast iron rainwater goods throughout. The mill race flows under the east end of the building.

The mill is entered via the single-storey south elevation. To the right is a large vehicle doorway with timber sheeted double doors, partly set within a gable containing a semicircular fanlight with petal tracery. To the far left, the ground level drops and the mill race runs along the building side. At the lower level at the mill race opening is a doorway without a door, with a small timber sheeted window opening directly above at upper level. Immediately to the right of the mill race opening the ground rises sharply. Here sits a butter churning device under a large lean-to hood, powered by the water wheel. To its immediate left is a timber sheeted door with a small windowed opening to its right, the window covered with timber sheeting. The east gable has a 6-pane sash window.

On the north facade the ground level is much lower, making much of this elevation two storey. At the far left, where ground level is higher and the facade single storey, is a large timber sheeted double door set within a gable, similar to that on the south facade. To the centre of the north facade is a large segmental archway at ground level with brick dressings to the arch head. Directly above at upper level are three timber sheeted loft doors and three smaller timber sheeted openings. To the right of the large archway at ground level are two timber sheeted doors followed by two windows with metal sheeting over them; the first window is much larger. At first floor level to the right is a small four-pane window with louvering underneath. The west gable, facing the Ballynahinch River, appears to be blank.