Cregg Mill, County Galway

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Cregg Mill
Flour mill
Current statusStanding, usage changed
Structural systemLimestone
LocationCregg, Corrandulla, County Galway
Current tenantsDriscoll family
Coordinates53°23′15″N 8°58′26″W / 53.3875°N 8.973889°W / 53.3875; -8.973889
Construction
Builtc. 1780
Renovated
  • 1:c. .1976
Floor count4 (originally 3)
References
"Cregg Mill webpage". Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.

Cregg Mill is a converted 18th-century

oats, and barley were kiln-dried and ground there.[1]

The mill is on the Cregg River, which rises from a spring a half mile to the north and flows into Lough Corrib.

History

image of coursed stone window, Cregg Mill
Cregg Mill: detail of coursed stone window interior

The mill was built between 1760 and 1800,

watermills stood at the Cregg River bridge - the current mill building, in the townland of Drumgriffin, and two further mills in the townland of Aucloggeen, one on the other side of the bridge, and the other, a much smaller building, on the opposite side of the road, with the river dividing to service all three buildings.[3][not specific enough to verify
]

The 1845 Valuation Office house book for Annaghdown parish records Patrick Wade as occupier of a corn mill in the townland of Aucloggeen, with a note stating that "this mill was burned on Friday Nov. the 4th '53".

Griffith's Valuation, only the latter mill is mentioned as functioning at Cregg (in the townland of Drumgriffin), with Patrick Wade listed as the miller.[6] The miller's cottage adjoins the mill. In the third edition (1913) of the Ordnance Survey Ireland map only the current Cregg Mill is standing, and it is marked as "Flour Mill in ruins".[7]

In 1918 a newspaper article noted that "efforts are being made to re-establish the Cregg Corn Mills,

co-operative was named "Harward Wade, Son and Co., Ltd." The mill was equipped with French burr grinding stones and Irish shelling stones, and a flat head, tiled kiln for drying oats. Milling restarted on 17 October 1919, producing oatmeal and wholemeal, but not flour.[10]

By 1935 the company had gone bankrupt and the initiative ended in acrimony, with Francis Brennan Wade applying for the winding up of the company.[11] But in 1940, Francis Brennan Wade began advertising the mill as open again for business.[12]

In 1953 the

Rural Electrification scheme, with the notice stating that 325 houses in the area were ready for wiring.[13]

By 1958 the mill was again for sale as a working mill, with the equipment listed as "a modern tiled drying kiln [...], 2 pair French burr stones, 1 pair shelling stones for oatmeal, pair combined oatmeal shelling seives, combined oatmeal duster, 1 double pair elevators, 1 single pair elevators, friction hoist, and all the usual pulleys and shafting".[14]

In 1963 the mill and miller's cottage were being sold as a disused mill, together with lands nearby at Drumgriffin, Cregduff and Park townlands.[15] At some stage the mill wheel was acquired by the Salthill Hotel, Galway.

In the late 1970s the mill was converted from a three-storey structure with wooden floors into a four-storey structure with concrete floors, designed to be an interior design studio with studio workshops and bedroom accommodation.[16] By 1983 the mill and cottage were once again for sale,[17] and were sold in 1985.

In 2014 Cregg Mill and cottage were advertised for sale, with the advertisement noting that the property comprised three individual residential units (the mill, the former miller's cottage, and an apartment) totalling 1,114.8 m2 (12,000 sq ft), with 27 rooms in total including a top floor loft style gallery of 139.35 m2 (1,500.0 sq ft). The mill remained for sale in 2016[18] and was eventually sold in August 2019.

Structure

The mill is constructed of limestone -

country house and the doorcase may be compared to those of the Slane Mill (c.1760), Co. Louth".[2]

The mill is included on

References

  1. ^ "Harward Wade, Son and Co., Ltd". Connacht Tribune. 6 October 1928. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Cregg Mills, Drumgriffin, Galway". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
  3. ^ "Historic Map, First edition, 6 inch". GeoHive - Ordnanace Survey of Ireland. 1837–1842. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Valuation Office House Book, Townland of Aucloggeen" (PDF). National Archives of Ireland, Valuation Office books, 1824-1856. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Valuation Office House Book, Townland of Drumgriffin" (PDF). National Archives of Ireland: Valuation Office books, 1825-1856. 1845. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Primary Valuation of Ireland: Drumgriffin, Parish of Annaghdown". Ask About Ireland. 1853. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Historic Map, third edition, 25 inch". GeoHive - Ordnance Survey of Ireland. 1888–1913. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Notes & News". Connacht Tribune. 17 August 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  9. ^ "The Cregg Mills, Drumgriffin". Connacht Tribune. 7 June 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Creditable Local Enterprise". The Tuam Herald. 1 November 1919. p. 4. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Public Notices". Connacht Tribune. 11 May 1935. p. 16. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Milling Notice to Farmers". Connacht Tribune. 9 November 1940. p. 3. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  13. ^ "Electricity for Annaghdown". The Tuam Herald. 5 September 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Cregg Mills, Currandulla". Connacht Tribune. 8 March 1958. p. 1. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  15. ^ "Valuable Residential Holding of Land with Mills Thereon". Connacht Tribune. 28 September 1963. p. 1. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Untitled photo". Connacht Tribune. p. 27. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Cregg Mill, Corrandulla, County Galway". Connacht Tribune. 7 October 1983. p. 21. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  18. ^ "What will €550,000 buy?". The Irish Times. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  19. ^ "Draft Galway County Development Plan - Appendix 6: Record of Protected Structures". Galway County Council. Retrieved 29 January 2022.