Industrial heritage reflects the connection between the cultural and natural environment and is part of our social history. In 2019 a project to record the Industrial Heritage of Westmeath was carried out under Action 2.1 of The Westmeath Heritage Plan; addressing gaps in existing datasets (few industrial heritage sites are recorded in National Inventory of Architectural Heritage (NIAH) and Sites and Monuments Record (SMR) for Westmeath). Recording the Industrial Heritage was also an objective of the County Development Plan 2014-2020.
The project was based on a desk-study that referred to historic maps, documentary sources, and meetings with Local Historical Societies. 4,855 industrial heritage sites were identified within the following categories: Transport, Manufacturing, Mills (including distilleries and breweries), Extractive, Complexes and Utilities. Seven industrial heritage sites were selected for further examination and are intended as an example of how to use the database for future research. The sites chosen were: Athlone Woollen Mills, Athlone Workhouse, Gneevebane Limestone Quarry, Locke’s Distillery, Moate Textile Mills, Mullingar Railway Station, and Multyfarnham Corn Mills.
The inventory data has been made available to the Planning Section and the report is a reference document that can inform and prioritise future work on the industrial heritage of the county. The report is available in the Local Studies Section of the Library and at the link's below: