Ballycopeland Windmill

Millisle Walking Guide

visitstrangfordlough.co.uk 6 5 Map

1 Ballycopeland Windmill 2 The Old Mills 1 3 Kindertransport 4 Amy Carmichael 5 The Standing Stone 2 6 Templepatrick Graveyard 7 Woburn House

3 4

Irish Sea

Please note that this map is not to scale and is for reference only 7 Millisle Walking Guide Historical Walking Trail of Millisle, Co

The main route consists and end at locations pay attention to primarily of flat outside the village. If the traffic. concrete footpaths with you wish to walk to pedestrian crossing these sites, please take The tour will last one opportunities and you care, paying attention hour approximately. can walk between to traffic at all times. For your convenience, sites although there You may find it easier there are public is a little distance to drive to these sites. toilets located on the involved. This tour Please be aware when Road. does however start crossing the road and

We hope you enjoy learning more about the area. If you are interested in finding out more, be sure to look at the other walking guides in the series. Visit www.visitstrangfordlough.co.uk for more information on what to see and do in the area and to download the walking tours. We appreciate your comments and suggestions so please contact us via the website.

Just to set the scene, let’s start with a little history about Millisle

Although just one of the Millisle is one of enduring “Millies Isle” located off the many villages on the Irish international significance, village’s coastline, recorded Sea coastline, Millisle has stretching back centuries and on an 18th century survey a character & history all still touching lives today as of the area. Local folklore of its own. To the casual far away as India. suggests that the name observer, she can boast came from a 19th century no more than any other The Origin of the Name mill pond belonging to the seaside community; Millisle, translated from the Carmichael family, where an a few shops, a village Irish ‘Oilean an Mhuilinn’ island was to be found – pub, different churches means island of the mill. thus “mill isle”. and some friendly locals. Other stories tell that the origin of the name comes Yet, there is much more than from a group of rocks, named meets the eye! The story of

Pages 2 – 3 Let’s begin the walking trail

Ballycopeland Windmill 1 Situated to the west of Millisle you The iron and wooden parts were will find this fully restored windmill, skilfully replaced and the sails maintained by the refurbished, and the miller’s house Environment Agency and the only was restored at the same time. such fully functional windmill in An interesting and unusual aspect Northern Ireland. of the Ballycopeland Windmill is the centre or main shaft of pitch pine, East Down is one of the best grain which must have been the mast of a growing areas in Ireland and windmills sailing ship upended and reused, as have long been a prominent feature rope friction marks are clearly visible. of the landscape. Over a hundred have been recorded in the county, clustering Major structural and mechanical repairs especially in the . have been undertaken over many years Ballycopeland could possibly date to restore the windmill to its original from the 1780’s or 1790’s. state and this was fully completed in 1978. It is not clear when or by whom it was built, but it could have been George Bennett around 1795. He died about 1800 and the mill passed into the hands of his son, James. Some time between 1834 and 1860 it was acquired by the McGilton family. James and Maria McGilton had two sons and two daughters. James, the elder son, took over the running of the mill when his father died. James and his wife both became ill in 1895 and died on 23 and 24 April respectively and they were buried together on 25 April at Kircubbin. His brother Thomas became the owner, followed by his sons in turn, Samuel and Robert. The mill ceased to operate during the First World War and fell into disrepair. Samuel offered it to the state in 1935. Millisle Walking Guide The Old Mills 2 There were two corn mills in the village workers. They worked from 6am till 6pm – one beside the sea, which bore the with half an hour off for breakfast and name Lower Mill and one slightly inland, an hour for dinner; this was good by the bearing the name Upper Mill. Both were standards of the time. situated by a stream from which they In addition to these two mills there was a gained their power. flax mill. It was built by David’s two sons, The Mill House can be found on Main David and William, at the same time as Street close to where the Mill Race they rebuilt the other mills. According meets the . This grand building to a poem, the stones for the rebuilding was the former home of William came from “Patrick‘s Temple”. Carmichael and was built beside the old In 1888 the two brothers sold all their flour mill which Robert Carmichael (his local properties to a man called James father, born in Ayrshire in 1733) leased in Fulton. James and his brother George had 1791. His son David built a large house made their fortunes in South America. which became known as Mill House. The flax trade was then at its height, and The milling business prospered and the work was done day and night for 6-9 the Carmichaels became wealthy and months of the year. James died in 1946, influential people. They were also men of leaving his property to his brother-in-law, faith, who treated their workforce kindly John Mitchell. The families worked the and humanely. A bell on the highest mills until their closure in 1960. point of the Mill building would ring each morning at 5.45 to summon the

Kindertransport 1938 - 39 3 The of Ballyrolly (it is thought around Britain for the plight of the Jewish that the Rolly part of the name was taken children in Germany and Austria. Their plan from a Viking known as Rollo the Dane), to evacuate as many children as possible situated at the southern end of Millisle, became known as the Kindertransport. is a farm with a little known secret from The Kindertransport operation rescued the Second World War. 10,000 children aged from three months to After Kristallnacht or “Night of Broken 17 years; we can only imagine the scenes Glass” which took place during the night as the children left never to see their of 9-10 November 1938, when hundreds parents again. of Jewish synagogues, businesses and The children were housed all over Britain shops were burned, smashed and looted often in disused holiday camps, with foster across Germany and Austria the Jewish parents or in boarding schools and population was left traumatised and unable hostels. Some arrived in Northern Ireland – to save themselves. A rescue plan swung a country they most likely would never into action. This plan was led by a small have heard of. group of volunteers based in London and was known as the Refugee Children’s The small Jewish community based in Movement. responded to the needs of the young refugees, establishing a hostel in This group combined Christian and Jewish Clifton Street in Belfast. In May 1939, volunteers, who raised money and support Millisle Walking Guide

Kindertransport 1938 - 39 continued 3 the Refugee Relief Committee leased the At Millisle Primary School on the Abbey 70 acre derelict farm known as Ballyrolly Road, a Holocaust Memorial Garden has House, part of which had been used for been developed by the school children as bleaching damaged flax on the County a reminder of the Jewish presence in the Down coast. village. A DVD, entitled “A Kinder Place” has also been produced by the school. The Jewish community at Ballyrolly Many people visit the school from all House tilled the land and erected over the world to look at the fascinating outbuildings to be used as dormitories pages of the school registers, which are and amenities, creating a small still kept. community. Every December, the Principal receives a Up to 80 people, including the children crate of oranges from a kibbutz in Israel lived and worked on the farm at any to thank the school for keeping the one time. From the first arrivals in 1938 Millisle story alive. to its closure in 1948 well over 300 adults and children are believed to have The Principal and Governors also decided passed through Ballyrolly Farm. Many of to erect a Holocaust Memorial Garden the children attended Millisle Primary in the grounds of the school, which their School, which was then located on Main pupils and the local public might enjoy. Street. Each foreign child sat beside The star was designed and created by a local child in order to teach them Ned Jackson Smyth from , English. They played football together with its base landscaped by Rodney and enjoyed skimming stones into the Brown, a former pupil of the school. waves while walking along the beach. This acts as a reminder of the community Two of the veterans of Kindertransport who embraced these people needing a planted a grove of trees in the peace place of refuge. forest outside Jerusalem paying tribute to their saviours in Belfast & Millisle.

Amy Carmichael 4 [Missionary and Founder of the Amy was 16 when her father sold his Dohnavur Fellowship] business in Millisle and bought a larger mill in Belfast where the family moved On Millisle’s Main Street you will find to. In Belfast, Amy first became involved the local Baptist Church, built in 1867, with the poor and underprivileged mill replacing the earlier village primary workers. She would often be found school built by local Presbyterians. on a Saturday night working as part An Ulster History Circle plaque in of the Belfast City Mission helping memory of Amy Carmichael has been the ‘shawlies’ or mill girls. Having erected on the wall beside the front door encountered an old woman, carrying a of the church. Amy Beatrice Carmichael heavy bundle among the well dressed was born on the 16th December 1867 in churchgoers one Sunday morning in Millisle. Her father was an influential mill 1885, Amy knew that she would owner who used the stone from the old devote her life to helping the poor church at Templepatrick to rebuild their and needy. mills in the townland of Ballycopeland.

Pages 6 – 7 Millisle Beach

Amy Carmichael continued 4 She became a missionary and after a “Lord, give me love, then I have all, short spell working in China and Japan, For love casts out tormenting fear, she travelled to India. In 1901 Amy And love sounds forth a trumpet call founded the Dohnavur Fellowship in To valiant hope, and sweet and clear, southern India addressing the terrible The birds of joy sing in my tree, plight of the Temple children who lived Love in my heart when I have thee.” in darkness and shame, and saving Amy Carmichael died on 18 January 1951. hundreds of children from a life of unbearable torture. Amy Carmichael’s poetry reflected her devoted service to her religion and to the poor and needy.

The Standing Stone 5 To the north of the village, the coastal Yorkshire. At the cessation of hostilities townland of Templepatrick can be found. Major Heyn further developed the Ulster Local legend states that St Patrick Steamship Company. He had also grown landed on this rocky outcrop on one of an enthusiasm for racing cars. his many trips across to Ireland; hence From 1928–1936 Northern Ireland the name. There is a record of a church staged one of the most spectacular on this site thought to have been erected events in the motor racing calendar by St Patrick. in Great Britain. It was called the RAC Today an impressive rough granite Tourist Trophy races and it ran over the obelisk stands as a memorial to Major world famous , incorporating Richard Gustavus Heyn, last family , and Dundonald. owners of the once famous Ulster Major Heyn who owned Fiat cars capable Steamship Company. It became known of racing in the Ards TT, encouraged a as the Head Line, owing to the local engineer, William Sullivan, to drive company’s vessels being called after Irish for his team. Major Heyn’s family put up headlands, for example Fair Head on the the monument which we see today. Causeway Coast. With the outbreak of The Croagh Patrick Nursing Home, hostilities in 1914, Major Heyn joined the not far away, is on the site of the building Royal Flying Corps, and was eventually which used to be his house. appointed Chief Flying Instructor at the Aerial Flight School at Marske in North Millisle Walking Guide

Templepatrick Graveyard 6 In Templepatrick graveyard you will find Electric Telegraph the grave of Jean Watson, 1657–1749. May 22 1853 marked the completion It is said that King William, on his way of this project and beginning of to fight King James at the Battle of the transmission. This involved the setting Boyne in 1690, commandeered horses up of a submarine magneto-electric from nearby fields belonging to Jean. telegraph link with Portpatrick in It was later discovered that she followed . The first attempt to lay the King William to the Battle, where cable was delayed due to a coasting she was taken prisoner and was to be schooner from Larne, but eventually the executed for being a spy. project was completed and the line ran from just outside the graveyard at a place Somehow she regained her freedom and known as Cable Corner. demanded the King return her horses. He was so impressed by her audacity that he gave back the horses along with a letter to her landlord stating that she was to have rent-free status for the rest of her life!

Millisle Beach Park and the Coastline 7a At Millisle Beach Park, you can the stretches of rocks. These Seals are observe the wildlife common in this larger than the Common Seal. They eat seaside location. fish, shellfish and squid. Females can live into their forties whilst males only Rock platform and boulder shores are live into their twenties and twenty-five mostly found around the is considered a ripe old age for a male coastline, especially on the Ards Peninsula grey Seal. and the coasts. These shores are one of the most variable types of coast, Grey seals are born during the autumn ranging from long exposed stretches to and the adults sometimes leave the small sheltered inlets, some broken by pups to go in search of food. Should you expanses of sandy beach. ever come across one of these pups it is always best to leave it alone and observe Rock crevices provide shelter on the from a discreet distance so as not to most exposed shore and are good sites disturb it. for sea anemones and sponges. Birds most commonly found on these rocky From time to time, boats have foundered shorelines include Oystercatchers, just off these shores. On 15 November Turnstones, Ringed Plover, Redshank 1914 the Inverurite went on to rocks and various Cormorants. Shags can be at Ballyferris. On 12 November 1915 spotted on the rocky outcrops often a French boat called Cyrana sank drying their wings after diving for fish. between Craig, Adam and Skelly’s Rock. During the winter months Brent geese On 10 January 1943, a Danish schooner from High Arctic Canada can be seen on called Ruth II sank at Ballyvester. It was the shoreline. carrying a load of coal and meant that those living locally did not have to buy There is also a population of Grey Seals any for some time! which can be seen off the coast lying on

Pages 8 – 9 1778 – The Americans are coming! 7b On 23 April, 1778 the time of the procession, he enticed H.B.M ship Drake American War of Independence, into striking range. the American Continental Navy warship, As darkness fell a powerful sea battle “Ranger” commanded by the father of ensued. The onslaught was ferocious. Both the American Navy, Captain Paul Jones, ships fought for over an hour, being well sailed into the waters off the eastern matched in fire power, size and speed. coastline of the Ards Peninsula. The American warship, however, Her mission was to raid British managed to cripple the British ship by commercial shipping. The cunning destroying her masts and rigging. Captain Jones had learnt from captured fishermen that the English fleet had Captain Burden of the Drake fell in the dispatched His Britannic Majesty’s (HBM) engagement. The ship struck her colours ship Drake, a twenty gun sloop under the after her Captain, First Officer and command of Captain Burden, to search seventeen crew also lost their lives. out the American privateer. Captain Paul Jones sailed on victorious The Ranger had previously been a British into the Irish Sea, continuing to engage merchantman but had been captured any British vessel that came within range. by the Americans and converted. He landed a party of sailors in Whitehaven This gave Captain Jones the edge he on the western coastline of England needed. Deploying the British flag in his where he threw the ship’s anchor.

Aerial shot of Millisle Millisle Walking Guide

Woburn House 8 Leave the village via the Ballywalter reception room, classroom and main Road. On the right hand side lounge, was added, and also the tower. approximately one mile beyond the car The Archbishop lived in Woburn House park on the Ballywalter Road is Woburn for a short time and built Carrowdore House. The house in its current state is Church at his own expense. the home of the Northern Ireland Prison During the Second World War Woburn Service but it has been owned by several House was used as a convalescent home government departments since 1949. for injured soldiers, whilst the Beresford The present building that you see was family remained in residence in another erected by John Gilmore Dunbar, a part of the estate. wealthy industrialist, between 1797 Following the death of Reynell Pack- and 1830, mainly as a summer residence. Beresford in 1949, the estate passed to He was a wealthy mill owner whose his son, who inherited an enormous bill name survives in Dunbar Dock and for death duties. After negotiations with Dunbar Link in Belfast. His family were the Ministry of Finance, the family was the sole landlords of the two forced to sell the house and a substantial of Drumfad and Ballyrolly, an area split portion of the estate to the Ministry. up among tenant farmers. The building passed into government The house was inherited in 1846 by ownership in 1953, and in 1956 it George Orr Dunbar, twice Member of became an open Borstal, housing about Parliament for Belfast. George married 130 boys. Harriet Susan Isabella Delapoer In 1975 a more secure Borstal was added Beresford, daughter of Lord Beresford, and in the early 1970’s a school was Archbishop of Armagh. They carried out established for the training of prison considerable extension and improvement officers and this continued till 1980. work to the house. A south wing, which now includes a dining room, kitchen,

Woburn House Pages 10 – 11 For more information contact any of the following Visitor Information Centres: Ards Visitor Information Centre 31 Regent Street Millisle NEWTOWNARDS BT23 4AD Newtownards S 028 9182 6846 Belfast k [email protected]

Bangor Visitor Information Centre Tower House, 34 Quay Street Bangor B20 5ED S 028 9127 0069 k [email protected]

(Seasonal office Easter – end August) Visitor Information Centre The Stables, Castle Street PORTAFERRY BT22 1NZ S 028 4272 9882

(Seasonal office Easter – end August) @VisitStrangford Cockle Row Visitor Information Centre The Harbour, Main Street /VisitStrangfordLough BT19 6JR S 028 9127 2269

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Ards and North Down Borough Council presents the information as a public service, and while every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, the Council cannot accept responsibility and assumes no liability for any action undertaken by any person using the information contained herein. The content of this guide is copyright of Ards and North Down Borough Council and should not be reused without permission.