Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB02/02/006

Address :
Carrickhugh Corn Mill (Walworth Mills) Tullymain Ballykelly Limavady Co Londonderry

Townland:
Tullymain

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Farm Buildings

Former Use
Mill

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
Yes

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
Partially

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OS Map No:
28/7

IG Ref:
C6017 2238

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

‘U’ shaped group of three storey former mill buildingsin stone adjoining the unnamed road between Clooney Road and Carrickhugh Station (HB02/02/008). To the west across the road there is a group of former workers’ cottages and a stable yard (HB02/02/007). The west wing of the group is now partially hidden by tree growth. It is five bays long with openings in the stone trimmed in red brick. There are six openings equally distributed at second floor level. The third from the north end is a tall dormer with a hole for a winch over, the others abut the eaves. The first floor openings are blocked up, (there were four to the southern end). The ground floor door under the dormer has also been blocked up. The roof is natural slate. To the south is a small hip on the gable end which has two high level windows and a blocked up loading bay opening to first floor. (ground level is higher). The north end of the roof has a full hip as the roof changes direction to run over the main range of the building running east. This building is about eight structural bays long with four windows centrally placed at third floor level. To the west a tall opening two storeys highgives access to the west wing. The wall above has been rebuilt in blockwork. Adjacent, to the east, an arched opening has been reduced in height and has two metal doors. At the eastern end beyond an oil tank is a ground floor door. First floor openings align with those on the floor above. At the east end of the range a second wing returns to the north. This wing is becoming derelict and though the same length as the west wing is twice its width. The two bays nearest the south corner are reasonably intact, both have ground floor doors. To the north are two more doors accessing the building. Here, floors and roofs are gone with the exception of one or two queen post trusses. At the north gable there is no sign of the chimney marked on current Ordnance Survey maps. The courtyard created by the building has been enclosed by a corrugated metal shed with lean-to roof to the main range. The courtyard is entered via the opening of reduced height described for the main range. It is concreted and contains farm machinery. There are ground floor doors to the east wing - which has a blank wall above. A corrugated metal wall ispresently located in the position of the e former chimney. The rear of the main range has two circular brick trimmed louvred openings at first floor level. The openings to the west wing have been blocked up.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Buildings indicated on 1830 map and from remarks made by the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1835 it is likely that it is the older of the two main mills of the complex: ‘On the same stream immediately below the former (the Flour mill HB02/02/005A) is a corn mill belonging to the same person and worked by an overshot wheel 13 feet in diameter and two and a half feet broad. It is single geared and of very old fashioned construction. The charge for grinding at this mill is the 32nd grain (or the 32nd part of the grain ground.)’ The present owner told us that the wheel was inside the building and that there was also a corn kiln with vaulted brick walls, five at base. . The introduction of a steam engine at the Flour Mill is recorded by the Ordnance Survey Memoirs to supplement water deficiencies in dry weather. One is not recorded at the corn mill, but a contemporary illustration on the cover of the present edition of the Faughanvale memoirs shows two chimney stacks in the valley. It is likely that Mr Jacob Levingston, owner in the 1830s was responsible for both. George Cather acquired the mills and surrounding farm (see HB02/02/001) in the 1840s on land leased from the Fishmongers’ Company. He probably improved and expanded the mill and was responsible for a branch line to the building from the nearby railway which opened in 1852. The Griffiths Valuation of 1858 records Cather as ‘occupier’ and gives a value for ‘Corn-mill, kiln, millers house and offices’ off £33. 0s. 0d. The Cather family operated the mills and farm until the turn of the century, when the buildings were leased out to various operators. They were bought by the present owner's family in 1948. (The Fishmongers Company sold off much of their holdings in the area during the 1890s and probably sold to the Cathers at that time.) The mills were in operation until after the Second World War and are labelled as ‘Walworth Mills’ on the 1923 Ordnance Survey Map. (The Flour Mill is not labelled on this map). The present owner has renovated the buildings for farm use. In 1884 the mill was badly damaged by fire. It was described at the time as an ‘oat meal and Indian corn mill’. References: The Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol. 36 p.21. Limavady and the Roe Valley by Rev. T Mullan p. 91. The 1858 Griffith’s Valuation, Newtownlimavady p. 179. Ordnance Survey Map No.Londonderry 9: 1830, 1848 & 1923. Owner (1998). Industrial Archaeology Record Ref: 1434:1

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Former mill building converted to farm use with one great triple height space. Building is neat and unobtrusive in the landscape but falling into dereliction. Of historical and archaeological interest because it is part of a complex of buildings which benefited from the coming of the railway in contrast to most of the mills in the Limavady area.

General Comments

Date of Survey

04 June 1998