Distillery — Townparks (imokilly By., Middleton Par.)

Large distillery in Midleton. Built 1796 by Marcus Lynch as woollen manufactury which never succeeded; later used as military barracks; incorporated into distillery which was built 1825 by Murphy family (Lewis 1837, vol. 2, 368), continuing in use until 1975 when modern distillery built immediately to NE. Complex consists of two main blocks of buildings and a number of free-standing buildings, covering an area of c. 8 acres. Central building complex incorporates original woollen mill on N side. N elevation of woollen mill visible; 5-storey with wheel pit. Architectural drawings in distillery show S elevation as 5-storey with small 'basement-like' windows, 13-bay central gabled block with 3-bay projecting wings at either end. When incorporated into distillery this became a grinding mill with barley and malt stored in upper floors. Power was provided by cast iron breast-shot waterwheel, still in situ, measuring '22ft diameter and 15ft 3in wide' (Bowie 1980, 82); date '1852' cast on wheel; segmental wheel attached to inner shrouding powering pinnion wheel. 'The wheel's power is transmitted through great spurwheel gearing to the main vertical millshaft and thence by bevel gears to the brew house where the lineshaft circuit is shared with the two steam engines' (ibid.); much of gearing survives. Wheel pit fed by head race carried on segmental arched aqueduct. The steam engines were 6-column independant beam engines (ibid.,81) one of which survives in situ; the other removed to Robert Guinness Museum (pers. comm. B. Crockett). Additions to original block include: still buildings and copper house to E; fermentation house to S. Attached to S elevation of fermentation house is a 3-storey structure; archway through ground level with keystone dating 1877; housed pipes which ran down into river for cooling. Yard to N with tall free-standing mid-19th century brick chimney; mill race to W and N; 5-bay, 2-storey cooperage to N with brick detail. To E series of Bonded Ware houses. The 2nd complex of buildings stands to NW, comprising of a series of buildings around subrectangular yard. E range consists of long 5-storey grain store with kiln attached to W side; along its W elevation a series of low stone-built stable buildings. S and W range formed by series of malt houses and kilns. N range indicated on 1842 OS 6-inch map no longer survives. At end of S range is ornate 2-storey brick-built office with excellent Victorian detail. Numerous other buildings survive including 1-storey General Managers house to N; Customs and Excise office and Weigh Bridge house to E; scattered small workshops etc. Old Distillery restored, opened to public 1992 as Jameson Heritage Centre. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1994). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009