The historic Ballycopeland Windmill, outside Millisle, could reopen again two years after it closed. The Department for Communities (DfC) is inviting applications for an ‘operator’ to run the site’s visitor centre and café, with the aim of creating a “vibrant heritage destination that attracts domestic and out of state visitors.”
Applicants have until April 15 to submit their bids to reinvigorate the windmill, which closed in April 2024 amid much “sadness and disappointment” among loyal customers.
Up until its closure, the windmill Northern Ireland’s only working example had recently been refurbished as a tourist attraction at a cost of £1.7 million less than two years earlier. It included an ‘Ability Café’, which ultimately shut despite a strong outpouring of public support and a 2,689-signature petition submitted to Stormont calling for the unique heritage site to remain open. The last remaining windmill in County Down, Ballycopeland also features an old miller’s cottage and kiln, and closed just before the busy Easter period that year.
In an effort to breathe new life into the site, the DfC’s Historic Environment Division is seeking an operator capable of “helping communities to enjoy and realise the value of our historic environment.” Located about a mile outside the village of Millisle on Windmill Road, the whitewashed, tapered, four-storey stone tower mill has a distinctive boat-shaped cap. It is thought to date back to the 1780s or 1790s, although it first appeared on ordnance survey maps in the 1830s.
Built during County Down’s grain-producing heyday—when more than 100 mills operated in the area—it stands today as a rare survivor, with most others either destroyed or reduced to ruins. The surrounding Ards Peninsula is rich in historical and cultural significance, and lies close to several visitor attractions including Mount Stewart, the Kearney coastal walk, Exploris Aquarium, and a cluster of state care monuments such as Greyabbey, the Nendrum ecclesiastical site, and Scrabo Tower.
Before its most recent refurbishment in 2020, the windmill attracted around 3,000 visitors annually. Renovations added new car parking, a learning space, and a visitor centre. The café itself has seating for 50 people, with an additional 25 outdoor seats.
The DfC’s tender is for an initial three-year contract, with options to extend through to February 2037. Tenders and requests to participate close at 3pm on April 15.
