Old mill wheel in Laois gets heritage grant
The Newtown Mill Waterwheel project has received a restoration grant. File image
A MAGNIFICENT old mill waterwheel that is one of the largest in Ireland has been granted funding for restoration works.
The Newtown Mill Waterwheel project has received €25,000 to repair and restore the 19th century structure, located between Durrow and Cullohill on the River Erkina.
The owner is working in conjunction with the Laois Erkina Blueway Association on restoration of the waterwheel, where large sections of decayed timber need to be repaired or replaced.
Funding for the project at the nine-bay, four-storey corn mill has been awarded under the Community Heritage Grant Scheme.
The annual scheme helps community groups, voluntary organisations and non-governmental organisations to ‘protect, share and celebrate’ heritage at a local level.
Welcoming the funding on 20 May, Laois TD Seán Fleming commented: ‘I visited this location myself and one of the largest mill waterwheels in the country is here at this location in Laois.
‘Repairs need to be carried out to this old mill waterwheel, as much of the timber on the mill waterwheel has deteriorated over the decades. It is vital to preserve and enhance this facility, as part of our overall local and national heritage.
'It is important that our generation protect, make safe and restore these historic facilities for future generations and this funding will help this particular project.’
In ‘Mills of Co Laois: An Industrial Heritage Survey’, which was carried out by Fred Hamond for Laois Co Council in 2005, Newtown Mill is described as the largest intact grain mill in the county. It was built as a flour mill in the early 1800s on the River Goul, which merges with the River Erkina just upstream of Durrow.
