Scotts Mill – an important part of Omagh’s industrial heritage

A rubble-strewn site close to Omagh town centre boasts a fascinating history that has weaved through generations since the famine era.

The former Scotts Mill factory stood for over 150 years before being fully demolished in 2018.

Although located off the Mountjoy Road, the story of the mill actually began at Cranny, when a man named William Scott established a mill close to where the Tyrone and Fermanagh Hospital is situated now.

This was during the famine in 1847, but the mill became a huge success, and Mr Scott expanded his operation closer to the centre of Omagh three years later.

After making the move to the new site, William leased the Cranny site to a man named John Carson.

With the aid of the Strule river and a modern oat mill, his new Omagh factory at the Mountjoy Road began producing flour, oatmeal and other feeds.

A steam engine was also installed to increase the efficiency of the water mill, and the factory was further boosted by the arrival of rail transport to Omagh in the 1850s.

This allowed a wider distribution of Mr Scott’s exports, but while the business appeared to be going from strength-to-strength, it experienced a setback when cheaply imported flour, particularly from America, allowed rival mills to catch up with Scotts.

William Scott had two sons, William (II) and Charles, who would later take on the family business in 1870.

They heard that new roller-mills, which would allow for faster and finer flour, were in development.

With this news, William II ventured to the United States to see these new rollers in action, and decide what variations could replace the now-becoming-obsolete mill grinders.

It was not until 1884 that a decision was made to purchase a roller, which was then fitted, and the plant converted to this new machinery.

At this time, however, disaster struck the Scotts: William II took ill health and died, leaving his brother, Charles, in command.

To his added misfortune, Scotland, which imported oats from Ireland, started cultivating locally-grown oats which were better quality than those milled here.

Amidst the growing pressures on local mills, Charles lobbied the Committee of Irish Industries, and insisted on import restrictions to curb the dwindling closures of mills, both large and small, throughout Ireland. However, such pleas were discarded, and the Irish mills were left to fight for survival.

efficiency

Yet, Charles persevered through hardship, and the Omagh mill survived with improved efficiency.

William senior, founder of Scotts Mill, died at the age of 85 in 1889, with his son, Charles, passing on seven years later.

The Omagh mill was now in the hands of Charles’ son, Lewis Irwin Scott, an engineering graduate from Trinity College Dublin.

Lewis took a particular interest in experimenting with the production of oats, and sought out ways to efficiently dry out the kernels to retain the quality.

But, demand for an inland flour mill in Tyrone was on the decline.

However, Lewis battled against the odds, and implemented further improvements to the mill, replacing waterwheels with turbines and two-wheel drays to four.

Lewis also started the process of packaging flake for export, and won contracts to supply oatmeal to public institutions across Ireland.

However, Lewis Scott was married to a Canadian woman, and both were not content in Omagh.

They reluctantly stayed in the mill until 1919. However, before leaving for England permanently, they made plans to let their nephew, Maddin, take over.

By that stage, Maddin Scott, the great-grandson of the founder, William senior, had returned from the war, and, thankfully, was able to take on the factory.

Despite being wholly inexperienced upon inheriting the mill, he threw himself into the business and involved himself heavily in public affairs, much the same as his forefathers.

Scotts Mill celebrated its centenary in 1950; its 100 years of success being a magnificent achievement for the local family business.

However, by the 1960s, much of Tyrone’s farmlands started to favour the barley crop, and sacrificed oat and potato crops.

For this reason, Scotts Mill faced the tough decision to end their 100-year devotion to oats, in favour of the barley product.

Maddin Scott passed away in 1962, and a man named Walford Green, Maddin’s first cousin, took on the position of chair, amidst a period of great change for the company.

The 1960s saw administrative developments, such as bulk delivery and digital computers, which put Scotts Mill at a technical advantage over their peers.

It was the Orwellian year of 1984 that marked the final chapter for large-scale milling industries across Ulster, with the rise of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) .

This saw cattle farmers reduce livestock, and therefore, milking, and the purchasing of milled feed.

Additionally, 1984 would see Robert Scott take over as chair following the health deterioration of Walford Green. Robert would later appoint his brother, David, to the position of managing director.

prosperity

During the 1980s, the mill incorporated smaller companies under its wing; one such being Erne Eggs, which would aid prosperity during a golden period in the early 1990s.

It was noted that, between 1991 and 1992, Erne Eggs, alone, brought in over £470,000 in profit before tax. The following two years also recorded a mass sum of £437,000 of profit before tax.

However, the late 1990s was an extremely challenging period for Scotts Mill, and, in 1997, the company was forced to deploy various cost-cutiing techniques, including redundancies.

This struggle came after a shock flip in 1996, which saw the company rapidly lose money following competitors rapidly out-preforming Scotts. One such rival was Ferne Foods, following the purchase by Moy Park. The Scotts also began to debate whether to relocate its plant, as the mill now found itself out-of- place, being so close to a busy town centre.

Further upheaval arrived in 2000, when the Scott brothers decided to merge with Fane Valley, concluding the mill’s 150 year association with the Scott family. Fane Valley continued on its original site until 2010, when a new mill on the Doogary Road industrial estate would replace the Mountjoy Road operation.

And, just like that, the factory fell silent after 160 years of being part of the fabric of Omagh town

The site lay dormant and subject to vandalism, including several arson attacks. Its remnants were fully demolished in 2018, leaving only the mountains of rubble we can see today.

However, the site is still regarded as a prime development location for Omagh, and has been the subject of a number of proposals, which so far, have failed to get off the ground.

In 2012, a £25 million proposal for a new 6400 sq metre food supermarket, petrol filling station and onsite parking at the former mill site was granted planning permission.

But, ultimately, like a number of enticing multi-million pound schemes proposed for Omagh around that time, the development did not materialise.

In recent years, as part of the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s ‘Omagh Place Shaping Plan 2035’, the council have taken great interest in developing the now- vacant site to possibly establish a business campus or a digital hub with intentions of further investment.