A late 18th century flour mill on the River Liffey near Lucan in west Dublin is likely to be converted into apartments or a tourist facility when it is sold by tender on May 4th. The Anna Liffey Mill at the Strawberry Beds produced flour for over 200 years until it closed down at the end of 1998.
Kevin McHugh of Hamilton Osborne King is quoting a guideline price of £3 million for the cut-stone mill, one of the most unusual redeveloment opportunities to come on the market in the Dublin area in recent years. It is to be sold in one of four lots, which will include a separate site of over three acres at nearby Tinkers Hill.
The mill is located along one of the most spectacular stretches of the Liffey with wooded hills and rolling fields running away in the distance. Jaunting carts once ferried tourists to the area from the Shelbourne Hotel. The mill is located on the north bank of the Liffey off the lower Lucan road. It is within a few minutes' drive of Lucan and less than 20 minutes from the city centre.
The mill has a floor area of 38,000 sq ft and is listed for preservation along with the water powered turbines which are still functional.
At the side of the mill there is a handsome period house with over 5,000 sq ft which is still occupied. It has five reception rooms and five bedrooms, three of them en suite. There is a gate lodge at the entrance. The sale includes three small islands on the river and salmon and trout fishing rights on both banks. The mill is only a short distance from Luttrellstown Castle and estate, which has excellent golf and shooting facilities.
The mill is situated in a Special Amenity Area and the zoning would allow it to be used for residential, restaurant, bed and breakfast, tourism, recreational and cultural purposes. The odds are that the property will be bought by a house building firm that will see the potential for converting it into loft-style apartments.
There has been a mill on the site since as far back as 1100 when the Devils Mill operated there. The current mill was bought in 1860 by Joseph Shackleton - a relative of Sir Ernest Shackleton of the South Pole expedition - and it was owned by that family until 1970, when they sold it to the present owners.
