http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/image.aspx?ImageID=55020&Width=640&Height=400

A thread on old mills. Here is barn mills, Taylors Avenue Carrickfergus. It has been saved (chimney and all) and given a new lease of life. Its mostly all original, and has been converted to mostly apartments. Do a google search and explore round it. There has not been a lot added to it in modern terms. I have looked around most sides and from above (with google street view) and cannot find fault. Some of the apartments can be rented.

http://www.barnmillscarrickfergus.co.uk/

That looks very good. Fair do's to the people who kept that building in good condition all these years. I've heard about a mill in or near Doagh, do you know anything about that?

In between Dundonald & Newtownards there is the Dundonald Old Mill

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:g45Anu7ZEsI-GM:http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/13886/wm/pd389550.jpg

The 1752 building is used as a cafe & tourist shop. The 1850 waterwheel, one of Ireland's largest, was restored in the 80's after being decrepid for over 50 years. But it's now powered by electricity and so is pointless.

http://www.dundonaldoldmill.co.uk/coffee.html

The one Beersbridge Road (can't remember the name) that's currently warehouses & offices is being redeveloped into apartments.

Didnt know that. The businesses always seemed to be on the ground floor and didnt seem to make use of the main building. It's called the Owen O' Cork mill. In its day used it recieved supplies by barge travelling up the adjacent connswater river

Page 28 of this pdf

http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/investinbelfast/docs/BelfastInvestmentProspectus08.pdf

I think I remember seeing a planning application for it too.

Would be interesting to know if anything came of the Beersbridge proposal. That document also talks about penthouse appartments for the Jennymount mill on York Road, which I hadn't heard about

Here's some info about a 2004 proposal to move a council department to the mill.
http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:oSkq0zB3gWQJ:minutes.belfastcity.gov.uk/(S(uurcc445jfhqisydhx3l4h45))/CeConvert2PDF.aspx%3FMID%3D9116%26F%3DMinutes.doc%26A%3D0%26R%3D0+lanyon+building+jennymount&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a

Presumably the idea was rejected. I think at the moment only the lower floors are in use for business.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rosdavies/photos/AndrewsSpinningMillComber.JPG

http://images.propertypal.com/accounts/ST0409214/propertyImages/49576/296970_large.jpg

http://images.propertypal.com/accounts/ST0409214/propertyImages/49576/289433_large.jpg

Comber Mill another success story, can't source an overall picture, it is quite a large complex.

http://www.rmi.uk.com/images/projects/consv_refurb/glmi/slides/slide_5.jpg

http://www.rmi.uk.com/images/projects/consv_refurb/glmi/slides/slide_2.jpg

http://www.rmi.uk.com/images/projects/consv_refurb/glmi/slides/slide_1.jpg

Gilford Mill, which apparently is listed is awaiting planning permission!!!!

That Gilford Mill is pretty good what with the massive mill pond. I know nothing about the village, you would have thought something like that would have put it on the map. I've heard about a mill in either Doagh or Ballyclare, which I think might still exist, or at least was knocked down in recent years.

On a similar tip to mills there is this chimney in the Clandeboye estate, inbetween Bangor & Newtownards. Courtesy of mark on geograph.org.uk

http://www.gmodules.com/ig/proxy?max_age=604800&url=http%3A%2F%2Fs0.geograph.org.uk%2Fphotos%2F53%2F97%2F539737_4a2bbe34.jpg

Taller than it looks. This area was a lead mine, and I think they may have used this to smelt the lead.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/2385029681_c606c29577.jpg?v=0

This is the stump of what was a windmill. The door is about head height. Also near this lead quarry is Helen's tower, which was probably the prototype for Scrabo. They may or may not have been built by the same aristocratic family. Though a big ego tower like Helen's tower is stuck in the middle of a forest, so unlike Scrabo can't be seen from very far

I've heard about a mill in either Doagh or Ballyclare, which I think might still exist, or at least was knocked down in recent years.



The Doagh mill is still intact I believe.

http://www.blacktaxidriver.com/SCENES%20OF%20OLD%20BELFAST/slide002-3.jpg

Anybody identify this monster in Belfast?

http://www.blacktaxidriver.com/SCENES%20OF%20OLD%20BELFAST/slide001-3.jpg

York Street Flax Mill, south end adjoining Gallaghers, this is where the main bulk of York Gate is sited today, with the West link just beyond the houses to the left. This part of the factory was flattened by the Nazis's.

http://www.blacktaxidriver.com/SCENES%20OF%20OLD%20BELFAST/slide002-3.jpg

Anybody identify this monster in Belfast?

I am guessing that this may once have stood on the corner of Conway St & Falls Road. The picture would have been taken looking north with Falls Road running left to right into the city centre. The mill in the distance still exists and I am currently involved in a refurb job here.

I am guessing that this may once have stood on the corner of Conway St & Falls Road. The picture would have been taken looking north with Falls Road running left to right into the city centre. The mill in the distance still exists and I am currently involved in a refurb job here.

Just found this link: confirmed as Conway Mill - pity about the loss of this building. We seem only to be left with a few of what originally stood:(

http://www.conwaymill.org/cway_then.html

Thanks for that I can see the existing still standing block at the back. But the bit in the foreground looked pretty impressive as well with quite a nice entrance. Would have been a nice apartment block converted.

One of the most impressive mill buildings was the Hyde and Entwhistle building at the bottom of the Mill Road in North Belfast. I fought hard to prevent its demolition (a lone voice that was ridiculed and of course totally ignored) I also fought against the destruction of the former Gallagher's site, which is now just a horrible giant car park, where once stood some fabulously handsome buildings.

So much has been lost here, that could have been preserved and converted with a little bit if the type of imagination and bold vision that is totally void here. This is why Belfast will forever be a sad little backwater.

I suppose you mean this building?

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr65/citybusrenegade/WhitehouseMill.jpg

Certainly would have been a good gateway into Newtownabbey, which would have lessened the mediocrity of the abbey centre and its surrounding industrial estates. One of the things you get a sense of from these old photos is that Belfast was actually a big city. It's so low density nowadays that it cant support most of the shops & services that big cities take for granted. The regeneration of innercity housing was probably essential though clearly mistakes were made. These big factories really should have been kept as the warehouse type shops that replaced them add nothing to the urban fabric of the city.

That's it ok. How sad to see how so much has been lost. I mean this building was 7 floors high.... a virtual skyscraper of its day. I remember clearly my frustration because I had just been in New York and seen some of the fantastic loft conversions in SoHo.

I was young and naive in thinking that any developer, planner, architect here would ever understand how such a building could be converted for re-use.

I also worked for a time in the W.W. Clellands building near the center of town. This too would have made excellent apartments. It was a very solid structure with lovely stone stair cases. It has been torn down and replaced with the sort of dismal monopoly boxes that characterise most of Belfast's contemporary buildings. Grrrrrr why are people here sooooo thick?

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46933000/jpg/_46933557_-4.jpg

From the beeb today, Barbour threads redevelopment given go-ahead, looks like quite alot to be retained.

Great news, if they're smart about it this could turn out to be one of the best developments in recent years. Good that they'll include small industrial units, another thing they should do is build a few shops, the area could do with some more anyway. One worry I would have is that the island in the bottom of the picture looks like it will have a corrugates shed on it.

Not all strictly mills but old factories nonetheless.

Glen Community Complex, Suffolk Rd

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr65/citybusrenegade/049.jpg

Larne Town Centre

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr65/citybusrenegade/043-1.jpg

Portview Trade Centre, Lower Newtownards Rd, and the oldest housing on that side of the road

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr65/citybusrenegade/128.jpg

Portview

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr65/citybusrenegade/132.jpg

Out of all the mills that have been turned into business uses, I wonder if any of them are even close to full ocupancy. Portview looks great from the old railway track, but I dont think the upper floors are in use. It's a pity the Connswater Community Greenway isnt a massively wide ranging project- this mill and the Beersbridge & Castlereagh one are along the river, it could be nice if the vacant units were turned into flats (not a bloody tesco as planned).

This thread jumped out at me when I was on the UK index, some fascinating images there. I have always had a particular love for industrial heritage, but have never been to Northern Ireland.

You have your uses Delta!

Unfortunately Belfast hasnt many of these old factories left, and as it's a relatively new city there's very few pre 1850's buildings. Northern Ireland as a whole is only marginally better. There's virtually no pre colonising period architectual heritage. For example you dont have many of the 400 year old pubs that are ten a penny in rural england

4 Mills from North Belfast

Flax Steet mill

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr65/citybusrenegade/P1030913.jpg

Edenderry Mill

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr65/citybusrenegade/edenderryloftlowquality.jpg

Mossley Mill

http://www.grannymar.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/mossley-mill-2.jpg

And the daddy of them all- Jennymount Mill

http://i470.photobucket.com/albums/rr65/citybusrenegade/P1030942.jpg

What is Jennymount currently being used for? I notice its lights are on at night.

I don't know who rents bits in Jennymount but chances are there are more than a few empty spaces. Lets face it it easily deserves a place in Belfast's top 10 buildings, there is something seriously wrong when it's not used to it's full potential. I've seen on the internet that the council considered moving a department to it but decided not to, the danger to staff walking home from it at night being one reason not to go there. It's interesting that a developer has had the balls to make housing out of Edenderry as arguably it's location is more risky than Jennymount. There's obviously a lot of hassle making a viable development proposal out of a mill in an interface area, which is why I would like to see more being made of some of the stuff which isn't in the shadow of peacelines- the connswater mills have potential.

Isn't Jennymount an absolute masterpiece, and to think that the bulldozers were on the job within the last 10-15years to remove it and they had to be stopped, they managed to tear down part of the wing parallel to the M2. It would be good if they removed that Thompson feeds complex in front of Jennymount, then it way create an impression from the city centre. Apparently there was another mill similar to Jennymount on Ormeau Avenue and it was demolished in the 70's.