Sion Mills Heritage Sites

Sion Mills was laid out as a model linen village by the Herdman brothers, James, John and George in the 1830s. The River Mourne has powered industrial machinery in the area since 1640, according to civil surveys from the mid-17th century this was also the site of a former corn mill. The model village which was created by the Herdman family also incorporated recreational amenities for locals such as a community centre, cricket, bowling and football clubs.  In 1835 the Herdmans converted an old flour mill on the River Mourne into a flax spinning mill, and erected a bigger mill behind it opening in 1853 which worked until 2004. The mill was built with grey ashlar stone which was quarried locally in Douglas Bridge, the building was designed as a fireproof mill. The architectural company of Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon were hired to extend the mill and the builder of the new mill was John McCracken.  The village was laid out as a model linen village and many of the buildings are now listed. While the most prominent building in the village is the mill by Lanyon Lynn & Lanyon, which has unfortunately been badly damaged by arson, there are a number of other significant architectural buildings in the village many of which are listed.