Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB09/10/002

Address :
Windmill Stump at Windmill Farm, 25 Battery Road Cookstown Co Tyrone BT80 0HH

Townland:
Mullaghwotragh

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Windmill

Former Use
Windmill

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
Yes

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
Partially

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OS Map No:
125/08

IG Ref:
H9205 7709

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

This is a late 18th century disused windmill. It consists of a rounded stone base with all original sails removed. The windmill is located to the North of ‘Windmill Farm’; a former cluster of houses and farm buildings which have now been removed and replaced by a modern single-storey modern house. There are several openings to the windmill. The North elevation has a small square-headed window at high level. The West elevation has a matching small square-headed slit window grille at mid-level, and a square-headed door at ground level. The East elevation has a matching small square-headed window at mid-level. There is a round-headed door opening located to the ground floor, which has been blocked up by random rubble stone. The South elevation has a small square-headed window at high level. All slit window openings have simple red brick dressings. Setting The windmill is located to the North of ‘Windmill Farm’; a former cluster of houses and farm buildings which have now been replaced by a modern single-storey house. The disused windmill is set to the South of Battery Road at the end of a long access drive. It is located within the Mullaghwotragh townland to the East of Cookstown.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

The windmill and a building to the south are shown on the OS map of 1832-34. According to McCutcheon, the former was built in the late 18th century (as were most extant windmills in Ulster), whilst the latter is recorded in the 1834 valuation as an old house occupied by a William John Bell, rated at £4-6-0, and measuring 37½ft x 23 x 16, with outbuildings of 42 x 19 x 8 and 36½ x 20 x 7 (thatched). In the second valuation of 1859 a William George Thomson is recorded as the tenant, with the ‘house [and] offices’ rated at £7-10-0. The windmill is not specifically mentioned in this or any later valuations, but it appears to have remained operational into the latter half of the 19th century at least. By 1884, the property had passed to Robert W. Bell, who acquired the freehold in 1907. A Thompson Bell became owner sometime between 1929 and 1935, and was still in residence in 1957. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI VAL/1A/6/30 OS map, Co Tyrone sheet 30, with valuation
references, 1833-34 2 PRONI VAL/1B/618 First valuation, Arboe parish, 1833-34 3 PRONI VAL/2A/6/30A OS map, Co Tyrone sheet 30, with valuation references, 1853-54(-59) 4 PRONI VAL/2B/6/18C Second valuation, Arboe parish, 1859 5 PRONI VAL/12B/37/13A Annual valuation revision book, Munterelvin ED, 1860-63 5 PRONI VAL/12B/37/13B Annual valuation revision book, Munterelvin ED, 1864-80 6 PRONI VAL/12B/37/13C Annual valuation revision book, Munterelvin ED, 1881 7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/13D Annual valuation revision book, Munterelvin ED, 1882-96 8 PRONI VAL/12B/37/13E Annual valuation revision book, Munterelvin ED, 1897-1912 9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/13A Annual valuation revision book, Munterelvin ED, 1912-29 10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4B Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1913-29 11 PRONI VAL/3C/7/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Coagh ED, 1936-57

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a late 18th century disused windmill consisting of a roundstone base with all original sails removed. This is an example of a late 18th century windmill stump, a reminder of eighteenth/nineteenth century technology but with no indication of its working mechanism, it does not meet the statutory and policy tests as a building of special architectural or historic interest. Construction detailing is rustic but typical of the genre. Although common in other parts of northern Ireland, the Ards peninsula for example, windmills were relatively rare in the Cookstown area; here, rivers were abundant and mills were generally powered by water.

General Comments

Date of Survey

21 February 2008