Former flax mill, NW of 69 Newry Rd, Rathfriland, Newry, Co Down, BT34 5AL

Former Flax Mill, Rathfriland

An extensive Second World War flax scutching complex on the north side of Newry Road, just east of Ivy Bridge Cottages, comprising five main structures: an automatic scutch mill, miscellaneous associated buildings, a manual scutch mill, a flax store, and an office.

The automatic scutch mill is a two-storey, multi-bay building eleven openings wide, aligned east-west. It has a pitched corrugated asbestos roof with asbestos gutters, smooth cement-rendered walls over concrete blocks, and metal casement windows with concrete cills. The principal elevation faces south to the road and can be divided into three sections. The left section is a lower two-storey structure four openings wide, with two circular cowl ventilators along the ridge. At ground floor are four equi-spaced windows of 2 by 4 panes, with 2 by 6 paned windows in line at first floor. The middle section, three openings wide, has a doorway at ground floor (now infilled) flanked on each side by a 3 by 6 paned window, the right one now sheeted over. At first floor is a loading door at the left (now infilled) and 3 by 5 paned windows at centre and right. The right gable of the middle section has a sliding metal door at ground floor and a 2 by 5 paned window at first floor. The right-hand section, four openings wide and set back slightly, contains 3 by 6 paned windows at ground floor (the third from left being 2 by 6 paned; the two at left sheeted over), and three 3 by 5 paned windows and a sliding door at first floor. A walled balcony accessed by a quarter-turn concrete staircase projects in front of the sliding door. A one-storey toilet block abuts the right gable, with a monopitched corrugated metal roof (partly missing). The rear elevation divides into two sections: the left comprises the middle and right sections as viewed from the front and is seven openings wide, with five 3 by 6 paned windows at ground floor (three sheeted over) and a door (now infilled), aligned with doors at both ends and five 3 by 5 paned windows at first floor. The right section (corresponding to the left front section) is four openings wide with 2 by 6 paned windows at first floor, the bottom four panes now infilled in all cases. The left gable features a large pair of sliding corrugated metal doors at centre and a 3 by 3 paned window at the apex.

Associated with the main block are several miscellaneous buildings. At the front right is a small one-storey building of similar construction, refurbished as an office, with metal doors to the west gable and rear elevation and metal-framed windows to all elevations. At the rear right is a single-storey, two-bay building with a flat concrete roof, housing doors into each bay on the east elevation and windows on the west face, probably formerly containing fuel tanks for the diesel engine. At the rear left, at the north-west corner, is a small single-storey, two-bay structure formerly serving as a worker's canteen and toilets, with a rendered chimney at centre, doors to south and north elevations, and windows to all but the west face. North-east of this building was a large dam (now infilled) which formerly supplied a water-powered scutch mill a short distance to the north. In later years this was driven by a small diesel engine, the mounting block of which remains evident. Ruinous foundations survive, along with a more substantial one-storey random rubble store to its south-east.

The manual scutch mill, located a short distance north-east of the automatic mill, is a substantial diesel-powered structure aligned east-west and constructed of similar materials. It has three distinct sections. The western section is a large one-storey, single-bay flax intake store with a large entrance on the west elevation, currently being renovated as a fish processing factory with recently re-rendered walls. Abutting its east elevation at right angles is the lower one-storey mill, which retains some of its original metal doors and windows. A lean-to runs along the south face of the mill, containing the mounting block of the former engine. No machinery survives internally.

South-east of the manual mill is a large scutched flax store, a one-storey, single-bay building of similar construction with two ridge ventilators, large sliding corrugated metal doors in the north face, and metal windows. A lower one-storey annex adjoins the west gable. Both sections are now disused with no special internal features.

To the rear left of the manual mill is a small one-storey, two-bay office block of similar construction to the mill. It is now derelict with no special internal features.