Comeback for visitor attraction in Co Down's last surviving windmill, which was axed by Stormont less than two years after it opened
Sails could be about to start moving on a tourist attraction in an 18th century windmill, axed by Stormont less than two years after it was opened.
Ballycopeland Windmill is the last one left in Co Down, which was once a major hub of grain supplies in Ulster. Located in the countryside one mile from Millisle on the county’s north-east coast, in 2022 it was extensively renovated by the Department for Communities.
As part of that £1.2m work, the department set up a visitors centre that included a cafe employing young people with special needs, giving them the opportunity to be part of a community and gain new skills.
Less than two years later the department shuttered the centre, a move that sparked outrage among locals and severely hampered visitor interest in what is now a heritage tourist attraction in the north Down area.
At the time officials blamed a money shortage; although locals started a campaign to save the centre plus its cafe and the jobs they both brought, their pleas fell on deaf ears and the facility closed at the end of March 2024.
Now the department is looking into getting it up and running again, hunting for an outside operator to take it over.
A tendering process to find that company began during the week and runs until mid-April. Documents released as part of the tender state the visitor centre had 22,000 people through its doors in the first year it was up and running, and anyone who takes it over would have “the opportunity to deliver self-guided and guided tours [as well as] cafe and retail sales, space for events and outdoor activities”.
Officials state the four-storey stone mill is thought to have been built around the 1780s or 90s, when Co Down was one of the major grain producing parts of the entire island of Ireland and boasted more than 100 mills.
They add: “The majority of the mills are now either completely destroyed or only a stump remains, and in fact Ballycopeland is the last remaining windmill in Co Down.”
The department says the point of reopening the centre is “to attract regional and particularly out of state tourists, who will make an economic contribution to the wider area”.
Running a cafe is “critical” to doing that, they state, while also offering job opportunities for waiting and cooking staff as well as tour guides.
Indeed, tourist figures supplied with the documents show that axing the visitor centre and cafe also meant interest in the facility as a whole took a dive. Although the windmill itself remained open for people to show themselves around, the year after the centre shut visitor numbers plummeted to less than 15% of what they had been, and stayed there the following year.
Anyone who takes over the centre should “increase the number of people visiting to learn more about the significance and history of the site”, say officials, adding the cafe should provide “attractive food and beverage options” ideally sourced from nearby suppliers.
The tender documents don’t mention whether or not a reopened cafe would have the same focus on young people with special needs, however, only stating that staffing should be compliant with equality regulations.