A village built to a plan
Sion Mills wasn’t allowed to grow at random. It was laid out from scratch in the 1830s by the Quaker Herdman brothers – James, John and George – as a model linen village: orderly tree-lined streets, a school, a recreation hall, and a cricket pitch that would later become the most famous thing in the place. The Herdmans took their cue from the social-reform ideas of Robert Owen, laying on evening classes, a village band and sporting clubs for their workers. The upshot is a coherent conservation area of Victorian and Edwardian buildings strung along the River Mourne, which had powered machinery on this stretch since 1640.
The mill itself started as a converted flour mill in 1835 and grew into a large fire-proof stone complex designed by the Belfast firm Lanyon, Lynn and Lanyon. At its height it employed up to 1,500 people. Production ran until 2004, and the grey ashlar façade and chimneys still dominate the village, though the building is a shell and access is restricted – admire it from outside.
The cricket ground
If you know one thing about Sion Mills, it’s probably the cricket. In July 1969 an Irish side beat a touring West Indies team on the village ground – one of the great giant-killings in Irish sport, and still a point of pride locally. The club fields a team to this day, and a match on a summer weekend is as good a reason as any to be here.
Walking the heritage trail
The easiest way to take the village in is on foot. The self-guided heritage trail links the main buildings; pick up a map at Sion Stables or download it in advance here. The standout is the Church of the Good Shepherd (1909), an Italian neo-Romanesque design in polychrome brick by William Frederick Unsworth, who also gave nearby Sion House its half-timbered Elizabethan look. Don’t miss the Sion Mills Railway Viaduct, a stone arch that once carried goods trains over the river, or the Swinging Bridge, a lightweight suspension footbridge across the Mourne that’s a small thrill and a good photo against the mill and viaduct. The route is largely flat and paved, but there are a few steps on the historic bridges.
The museum at Sion Stables
Housed in a late-19th-century stable block and run by the Sion Mills Buildings Preservation Trust, the museum splits its story into three strands – Family, Mill and Village. Among the exhibits are a sample of the first flax spun here in November 1835 and displays on how the mill’s linen was used for the wings of WWI aircraft. It’s a self-guided space, and the trust is digitising an archive of mill ledgers, diaries and drawings; if you’re chasing a family connection to the village, contact them ahead to ask about the genealogical records.
Sion Stables also runs a tearoom serving home-cooked food seven days a week, with indoor and outdoor seating and an à la carte menu in the evenings and at weekends – handy, because it’s the obvious lunch stop on the trail.
Practical information
- Getting there: Sion Mills sits just south of Strabane on the A5. Bus services from Strabane and Omagh are infrequent, so driving is much the easier option. Free parking near Sion Stables, the cricket ground and the mill site.
- Opening hours: The Sion Stables museum is closed Mondays, and open Tuesday to Saturday 11am–5pm and Sunday 12pm–5pm; it can be opened on request. The heritage trail and village are open daily during daylight hours.
- Admission: Walking the trail and the outdoor landmarks is free. The museum runs on a voluntary donation, though it’s worth ringing ahead to confirm, and guided mill tours can usually be arranged for a small donation.
- Accessibility: Most of the trail is level, paved and fine for pushchairs and wheelchairs; some historic bridges and older footpaths have steps or uneven surfaces.
- Contact: Museum phone 028 8165 9772; enquiries to the Sion Mills Buildings Preservation Trust.
Give it a few hours – the compact layout means you can walk the trail, see the museum and have lunch without rushing. Time it for the summer Strawberry Fair and you’ll catch the village at its liveliest.