Last of my posts from an all too brief trip to Northern Ireland a couple of weeks ago. At least now I can say I have explored in literally all corners of the UK!
This was the main big location I had always wanted to see in Northern Ireland, thanks mostly to it's pretty incredible complete set of unique hydroelectric generating equipment. Much like Barbour Threads it has been very badly bashed around since closure, however it's so big there is still a load of stuff to see, with a lot more of interest left inside than at Barbour. Access was easy, as expected, and we had no bother from anyone whilst there - the only part we didn't check out was the building attached to where the active hydroelectric generating set is situated, as by that time none of us fancied the dodgy three ledge shuffle over the water to get to it.
The Herdman family opened a mill in 1835 in what was once an old flour mill, and the village of Sion Mills around it was built largely by them as a 'model village'. A much larger mill was added behind the original structure in the 1850s, built of grey ashlar stone quarried locally in Douglas Bridge, and designed to be fireproof. The village itself contained many amenities built by the Herdman family including a bowling green, cricket pitch, football club and community centre. Nowadays, most buildings in the village date from the 1880s and 1890s, the village having gone through stages of rebuilding and modernisation by James Herdman's son-in-law, the architect William Frederick Unsworth who's other claim to fame is designing the first Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
At it's peak the mill employed around 1500 people, but the rise of cheap materials and imports from China eventually caused the mill to close for good in 2004. A company is currently using part of the southern end of the site around the more modern buildings, although most of what they're using still looks derelict.
Much like Barbour, this place has some incredible exterior views to take in.
Thanks for looking
This was the main big location I had always wanted to see in Northern Ireland, thanks mostly to it's pretty incredible complete set of unique hydroelectric generating equipment. Much like Barbour Threads it has been very badly bashed around since closure, however it's so big there is still a load of stuff to see, with a lot more of interest left inside than at Barbour. Access was easy, as expected, and we had no bother from anyone whilst there - the only part we didn't check out was the building attached to where the active hydroelectric generating set is situated, as by that time none of us fancied the dodgy three ledge shuffle over the water to get to it.
The Herdman family opened a mill in 1835 in what was once an old flour mill, and the village of Sion Mills around it was built largely by them as a 'model village'. A much larger mill was added behind the original structure in the 1850s, built of grey ashlar stone quarried locally in Douglas Bridge, and designed to be fireproof. The village itself contained many amenities built by the Herdman family including a bowling green, cricket pitch, football club and community centre. Nowadays, most buildings in the village date from the 1880s and 1890s, the village having gone through stages of rebuilding and modernisation by James Herdman's son-in-law, the architect William Frederick Unsworth who's other claim to fame is designing the first Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon.
At it's peak the mill employed around 1500 people, but the rise of cheap materials and imports from China eventually caused the mill to close for good in 2004. A company is currently using part of the southern end of the site around the more modern buildings, although most of what they're using still looks derelict.
Much like Barbour, this place has some incredible exterior views to take in.
Thanks for looking
