In the centre of Navan, County Meath and on the banks of the river Blackwater, the unsalubrious remains of a mid-19th century mill that once helped bring prosperity to the town. The building dates back to 1851 when erected by William Morgan to provide flour for his bakery elsewhere in Navan. It continued to serve this purpose until early in the last century when converted into a sawmill, remaining in operation until 1999 when the enterprise closed down. Since then the property has stood empty, being seriously damaged by arsonists in July 2007. Two years ago the local authority turned down the planning application from a local developer to demolish the mill, and erect on the five-acre site a 186-bedroom nursing home and 40 apartments.
“Elliot’s Sawmill”, as I think it was called in later years, was in the centre of the “Mollies” stretch of the Blackwater just upstream of the junction with the Boyne and one of the most famous salmon fisheries in the whole country…..the scene of many an epic battle with the king of fish!
I hope they find a way to integrate those wheels into the new development, to make it unique and to celebrate the history of the site.