Kilkenny Woollen Mills

Formerly a bleach mill complex, built circa 1800, in 1905 it was renovated by Lady Desart to accommodate use as a woollen mill. Dominating the skyline, the freestanding red brick chimney, erected in 1905, comprises of a tapered shaft on a square plinth, and is certainly the stand out feature of the complex, standing high above the mature trees of the Nore. It enhances it's surroundings and acts as a marker in the hinterland of a bygone time and industry. There are many incredible buildings in the complex, built by the finest craftsmen and more than likely with workers from Lady Desart's 'Kilkenny Woodworkers Company'.

The mills represent an important element of the industrial legacy of Kilkenny having operated as a bleach mill from the early nineteenth century as indicated by historic editions of the ordnance survey and then being redeveloped in the early twentieth century as a woollen mill. The complex survives as a reminder of the patronage of Ellen Odette Desart. Despite having been decommissioned, many of the original composition attributes of each range survive substantially intact together with much of the early fabric, thereby maintaining the integrity of the complex and what it stands for.

Today, the mill complex is owned by the Maharaj brothers who have their own architectural salvage companies on site.