Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB21/01/005

Address :
Patterson's Spade Mill 751 Antrim Road Templepatrick Co.Antrim BT39 0AP

Townland:
Ballypalady

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
23/04/1992 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Mill

Former Use
Mill

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
Yes

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
113-2

IG Ref:
J2625 8546

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Owner Category

Heritage

Exterior Description And Setting

Attached single-storey multi-bay outbuilding incorporating spade mill, located north of the Antrim Road, Templepatrick. Central rectangular plan workshop aligned north south, with single-storey lean-to extensions to east and west sides with further pair of single-storey extensions attached to the south end. The central rectangular block (metal-working shop) is hipped, slated with black clay ridge tiles, with central raised ventilation lantern and tall red brick chimney stack rising from east party wall. The east lean-to has corrugated asbestos roof, while the west lean to (visitor’s centre) has a corrugated iron roof, both having cast-iron rainwater goods. Rubble stone walling throughout (visible on the interior), painted roughcast render exterior finish except to north elevations. Square headed window openings without cill, replacement timber sliding sash and casement windows. Square-headed door openings with double-leaf sheet-metal doors to the west lean-to, a single-leaf sheet-metal door to the south of the central block. The east lean-to has a vertically-sheeted timber plank door to either end, with that to the north opening onto the foot of a steep incline with steps giving access to a footbridge and sluice gate where the Ballymartin Water forms a steep torrent. Corn Mill What remains of the original corn mill built in 1832 is a double-height fragmented shell with no roof structure remaining; the ruin abuts the north end of the west gable of the metalworking shop, with central double height round-headed opening now blocked up. The east gable is now gone, and the north wall is almost entirely gone, what remains supports a raised path to the north, leading to the water gate beyond. The ruin has camber headed window openings formed in red brick with stone cills and unglazed multi-pane iron windows. The aqueduct is part concrete and part iron and carries water through the walls of the ruin at the east side and projects through the south wall where the water then powers the turbine below. The iron aqueduct has a plaque inscribed, ‘Engineers, Portadown Foundry Ltd. Portadown.’ The south wall is double-height with low level openings to the east for original iron gears remaining on the inside of the south wall, now protected by a metal cage. A door opening gives access through to the main yard over a footbridge crossing the mill race that runs parallel to the south wall. Mill Manager’s House Detached three-bay two-storey rendered former manager’s house, built c.1850, facing south on an east-west axis with an attached L-plan front entrance porch and a single-bay two-storey return. Hipped natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles, redbrick chimneystack and cast-iron rainwater goods. Painted ruled and lined rendered walling, render quoins to all corners and a render plinth course. Square-headed window openings, painted stone sills, single-pane timber sash windows with ogee horns. A roundel window opening to the porch with a square-headed door opening to the east side having a timber panelled door opening into a small enclosed area. Setting Random rubble ruin, built c.1830, abuts north-west corner of main block and is aligned east-west and divided by west lean-to by a mill-race and turbine. The site is elevated to the north where the remnants of earlier mill buildings remain. Detached three-bay two-storey rendered mill managers house, built c.1850, to west of mill complex. Ballymartin Water runs through the site with associated mill race, sluice gate, aqueduct and water turbine. Site is accessed by a long lane and vehicular bridge crossing the Ballymartin Water. The water which powers the mill comes from the Ballymartin Water to a pond and race to the east of the buildings, which feeds a short aqueduct to a water turbine which was added to the front of the Beetling mill in 1917. The series of water driven shafts, pulleys and belts through the man building and finishing shop drove the tilt hammer, grindstones and drills. The water-powered Trip hammer is 150-200 years old.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

William George Patterson opened Patterson’s Spade Mill in 1919 on a site previously occupied by a number of different industries, including a corn mill built in 1832, a paper mill in 1857, and a beetling mill in 1901 [The National Trust]. He founded the mill in Antrim, bringing with him a large family and experience of spade-making from two previous generations in mills. The spade mill reached its peak of production in the 1930s and ‘40s, when it employed over a dozen men. The fact that the mill remained in commercial production right up to 1990, when every other mill of its type had long since closed, stands testimony to the quality of the spades produced at Patterson’s. The mill was acquired by the National Trust in 1992 who restored the spade mill, replacing the roof structure and furnace. The mill is recorded on the 1836 OS Townland Valuation Map, but not captioned. It is recorded as ‘Paper Mill’ on the Griffiths Valuation Map, 1859. The 1836 Townland Valuations state that the Immediate Lessor is James Parker and value the property at £16. 14s 0d. Griffith’s Valuation of 1859 records William Sloan as the lessor of a ‘house, offices, paper mill, stepping stones and land’ which is valued at £45. 0s 0d. The millers house was valued at £9. 0s 0d. James Boyle writes in the 1838 OS Memoir that the mill was originally a corn and flax mill, but was established as a paper mill in 1837 and gave employment to 19 people at that time. Patterson’s is the last working water-powered spade mill in the British Isles. Representing an important part of Northern Ireland’s industrial heritage, Patterson’s was acquired by the National Trust in 1992, two years after it ceased trading as a commercial concern. Following restoration, it was opened to visitors in 1994. References: Primary Sources 1. PRONI VAL/1/A/1/51 -Townland Valuation Map, Co.Antrim, no.51, 1836 2. PRONI VAL/1/B/1/13 -Townland Valuation Book, Co.Antrim, 1836 3. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/51C -Griffiths Valuation Map, Co.Antrim, no.51, 1859 4. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/1/11 -Griffiths Valuation Field book, Co.Antrim, 1859 5. OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of Co Antrim I, 1838-9, Vol 2 Secondary Sources 1. 'Call a spade a spade. Patterson's Spade Mill, Templepatrick.' The National Trust 2. Hammond, F. ‘Patterson’s Spade Mill, Carnanee Td, Templepatrick, Co. Antrim.’ (1991) NIEA HB files.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

D. Plan Form E. Spatial Organisation H+. Alterations enhancing the building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting

Historic Interest

V. Authorship W. Northern Ireland/International Interest Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Located close to the village of Templepatrick and just six miles from Belfast, Patterson’s is the last working water-powered spade mill in the British Isles. Open to the public, the mill demonstrates the workings and processes common to many historic iron industries and its machinery covers the evolutionary development of mechanical and civil engineering over the last century. As such it is of unique historic interest, and worthy of its listed status

General Comments

Date of Survey

08 October 2008