2017:734 - Mill Road, Crumin - Milltown, Antrim

Monitoring of ground works and a measured building survey was carried out at the site of proposed development at Glenoaks Mill, Crumlin, Co. Antrim in response to planning conditions imposed upon the development under planning policy guidelines PPS6 BH 4. The proposed development is situated within the site of a former Flour and Woollen mill (IHR 07342:000:00) which includes a millrace, race and millpond as part of its complex. The measured building survey was carried out in relation to those buildings which would be impacted upon by the development, while monitoring of foundation trench excavation was carried out within the footprint of the proposed new dwellings. Monitoring of foundation excavation uncovered the floor and wall remains of a past mill building, likely that depicted on 19th-century OS mapping associated with a mill complex marked as “Flour Mill”.

Monitoring of excavation of the foundation trenches for two semi-detached dwellings to the north of these structures revealed evidence for a previous building on the site in this area. A red brick floor surface and two concrete wall foundations set 2m apart and orientated north-south were identified as were the remains of a lower floor surface in the south-west corner which had been blackened and contained a small deposit of charred grain. These structural remains are located within the footprint of a T-shaped building which is marked on the 1st and 2nd Edition OS maps as being part of a larger complex of long rectangular buildings marked as “Flour Mill”. The recovery of charred grain from the base of a floor surface would indicate that this building did form some function relating to the Flour Mill. Removal of these structural remains revealed no earlier building structures within the footprint of the newly excavated foundation trenches and while the area opened up for excavation was limited in size, it is possible that these buried floor and wall foundations represent the first building constructed within this area dating to the early 19th century.

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