So with all this heat, where better to head off to then some water. Roving through County Carlow, I came across a fantastic spot, a local attraction for swimmers and some amazing ruins. The place is called Millford Bridge (Cloghristick townland).
View of weir at Millford Bridge, Co. Carlow
Millford bridge has been an industrial complex since the early nineteenth century. The Millford Flour Mills were built in the 1790's and by the 1830's the mills had an annual turnover of c.£190,000. An engineer from Manchester, William Fairbairn, built two mill wheels of 18 and 22feet wide respectively. Griffiths Valuation (an accurate record of buildings, owners/ leasors, description of buildings and value of buildings in Ireland) records 'Flourmills, kilns, malthouses, offices and land' in the vicinity of Millford Bridge. At its height, the flour mills could produce nearly 50,000 sacks of flour per annum.
In November 1862, the flour mills accidentally caught fire and were completely destroyed, with the roof and lofts collapsing.
By the 1890's a company Messrs Gordan and Company seeing the potential for the use of the buildings at Millford Bridge for the generation of electricity entered in negotiations with Carlow Town Commission about supplying an electricity supply to Carlow Town from Millford. By July 1891 Millford was generating and supplying an electricity supply to Carlow Town making it the first town in Britain and Ireland to be lit throughout using electricity.
View of Millford building used for the generation of electricity
For anyone interested in field walls and boundaries, take the few minutes to walk to the entrance of the mill and look to the right and see a very fine example of what is termed the 'Carlow fence'. The fence is made of granite and consist of granite uprights with elongated capstone. This type of fence is unique to County Carlow.
The 'Carlow fence' at Millford Bridge
Not a bad bit of history for one small area !
If any of you have roved past any fascinating industrial buildings please let us know where they are, so we can all rove around to see them sometime.
