2023:152 - Ballycoshone Mill, Cavan Road, Rathfriland, Down

The proposed development of land at Ballycoshone, Cavan Road, Rathfriland Co. Down, consisted of the construction of a domestic dwelling, with associated access and services. The site is set within the Ballycoshone mill complex which is listed on the Historic Buildings Record as ‘record only’ (HB16/07/058) and also on the Industrial Heritage Record (IHR 03525).
The site visit undertaken in December 2022, revealed that the central building of the complex, which consisted of a flax store, scutch mill and engine room, had been demolished down to original concrete floor levels. The cottage to the north and the old rubble-stone building with its associated mill-wheel are to be retained.
A combination of the pre-demolition descriptions, topographic survey, photographs including a clear detailed aerial photograph allowed for the production of a plan and cross section of the demolished buildings.
The levels recorded on the topographic survey revealed that the construction of the mill involved excavating back into the natural river bank, creating a scarp some 3m in depth. This work may have effectively removed any archaeological deposits, however it was possible that some late 18th- or 19th-century material may have survived in the area.
In August 2023, three 15m long and 1.8m wide test trenches were opened across the footprint of the proposed dwelling, the results of which showed that the construction of the mill complex in the early years of the 20th century completely removed all traces of earlier occupation in the area, with nothing of archaeological interest was noted.

AHC Ltd 36 Ballywillwill Road, Castlewellan Co Down BT31 9LF