Survey Data
Reg No
14802020
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Historical, Technical
Original Use
Mill (water)
Date
1780 - 1820
Coordinates
225673, 232474
Date Recorded
28/09/2004
Date Updated
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Description
Detached multiple-bay six-storey with attic former flour mill, built c.1800, with return and extension to rear and outbuildings. Now disused. Set within its own grounds. Half-hipped slate roof with rendered chimneystacks and terracotta pots. Roughcast render to walls with cast-iron tie-bar plates. Window openings with stone sills and some timber casement windows surviving. Segmental-arched carriage entrance to site with tooled limestone voussoirs and replacement timber battened gates set to squared coursed limestone wall. Associated mill manager's house and forge beside gate, and chimneystack within grounds.
Appraisal
This mill complex, located beside the River Brosna, is a notable landmark in the industrial landscape of Clara. With the associated chimney, forge and mill manager's house, this significant structure is a reflection of the town's thriving industrial past. Probably predating the advent of the Goodbody family, but coming under their ownership in the nineteenth century. This flour mill remained in operation until the 1970s, except for a temporary closure in 1919 when it was completely refurbished by means of insurance money received after the burning of the Charlestown Mill. The building retains much of its original architectural form and features. The entrance is particularly striking with its skillfully executed stonework forming a prominent feature in the streetscape, not least due to the contrast between it and its predominantly rendered surroundings.