Flax store at, Mary Brook Mills, 11 Raleagh Road, Drummaconagher, Crossgar, Downpatrick, Co. Down, BT30 9JG

Extensive and largely complete, small scale ‘Georgian vernacular’ rural milling complex dating from the 18th and early 19th centuries, with water powered two storey corn and flax mills and 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 c.1840s. The grouping was abandoned in the 1950s and lay largely derelict until the early 1970s. Since then it has been restored with the corn mill still operating up until the late 1990s. To the rear of the house are large two and single storey wings a section of which appears to have originally been a barn. The whole grouping has a uniform appearance with harled and whitewashed facades, slated roofs and Georgian paned sash windows and timber sheeted doors, an appearance complimented by the abundance of traditional wrought iron farm gates, stone walling and simple gate pillars. The complex is picturesquely set at the end of a lane to the W of Raleagh Road, roughly 2½ miles E of Ballynahinch. To the immediate W is the Ballynahinch River, with mill pond to the S. FLAX STORE To the N of the flax mill is a large single storey gabled building, with harled and whitewashed façade and slated roof. This may have been a store for flax. The building has a relatively large flat arch doorway (without door) to the E gable. To the W gable there is a is a high level window opening (without frame etc.). The long N and S facades are blank. *For the sake of simplicity only the 4 main compass points have been used.