Kiln, Ballymagart Mill, Ballyardle Road, Kilkeel, Newry, Co. Down, BT34 4JX

This is a ruinous kiln, likely built between 1840 and 1859 as part of a significant industrial grouping in the townland of Ballymagart, near Kilkeel. It’s associated with nearby corn and threshing mills (referenced as HB16/05/021E) and other industrial buildings on the site (HB16/05/021A, C, and D). The roof has disappeared, but appears to have been pitched and covered in slate. The walls are constructed of squared and snecked granite rubble, laid in courses, with a brick header course at the eaves.

The kiln has two and a half storeys and two bays. The left bay, which housed the drying floor, is longer than the right bay, which served as a grain store and features a gable facing the front. The left bay has a small, cill-less window on the ground floor, and a similar window with iron bars on the top floor. The right bay has a central doorway at ground floor, with matching doorways on the first and second floors. These upper floor doorways are flanked by small, brick-dressed windows with iron bars. A hoist is set into the gable above the top floor doorway. The left gable is blank.

The rear wall slightly projects to the right on the ground floor and has a single window at the top floor level. The right gable has a larger, blind brick-dressed window at the top floor centre. A collapsed brick lean-to, originally with a slate roof, abuts the ground floor on the left side. The kiln’s left (north) side cheek has a 2x5 pane metal window and a timber, tongue-and-groove (t+g) sheeted door, alongside a small, now blocked-up window. The right cheek is blank.

The kiln was likely erected in 1846, coinciding with the construction of the associated corn mill, and remained in use until the 1950s. Historical records, including a 1853 rental notice from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI – D 1201/23/27) and notes from a 1987 assessment by F.W. Hamond, document its history. The kiln is noted as derelict and exhibits significant industrial archaeological interest, contributing to the group value of the surrounding industrial complex.