County: Antrim Site name: Ballysillan Industrial Estate, Ligoniel Road, Belfast
Sites and Monuments Record No.: N/A Licence number: AE/06/194
Author: Lynsey Morton, for Archaeological Development Services Ltd, Unit 48, Westlink Enterprise Centre, 30–50 Distillery Street, Belfast, BT12 5BJ.
Site type: Industrial – mill
Period/Dating: —
ITM: E 730123m, N 877125m
Latitude, Longitude (decimal degrees): 54.625560, -5.984850
The site of the proposed development is located in Ligoniel, north-west Belfast, an area that throughout the 19th century was a major industrial centre, primarily for flaxmills. There are five known archaeological sites within a 1km radius of the development area, as well as eleven industrial sites within the vicinity, three of which are located within the development itself.
Located at the base of a steeply sloping hill on the site is a mill complex, comprising the main mill building (marked on the second-edition OS map), a later additional building to the south and various outbuildings to the east of the main building. The mill’s associated earthworks, including the pond, etc., are situated to the north and west areas of the main mill building.
The proposed development will consist of 170 houses and requires the demolition of the current standing mill buildings and associated earthworks.
This licence refers to Phase 2 of the ongoing housing development. During monitoring of Phase 1 by Jo Kovacik, the extent of a millrace was uncovered, measuring 3m east to west and running 33m north to south with a depth of c. 0.55m (Excavations 2006, No. 30).
Phase 2 was undertaken in November 2007 and involved further monitoring of topsoil-stripping. A portion of the former millrace was uncovered, some of which had previously been exposed during Phase 1 topsoil removal.
No archaeological artefacts or other features were uncovered.
