Sion Mills

Sion Mills is a village to the south of Strabane in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, on the River Mourne.

Sion Mills was laid out as a model linen village by the Herdman brothers, James, John and George.

The River Mourne has powered industrial machinery here since 1640, according to civil surveys from the mid-17th century this was also the site of a former corn mill.

The model village which was created by the Herdman family also incorporated recreational amenities for locals such as a community centre, cricket, bowling and football clubs.

[6][7] The work and theories of Robert Owen had a major influence on the development of Sion Mills and the model village.

By contrast, the modern Church of St Teresa (1963, by Patrick Haughey), the Catholic place of worship, is admirable for its severely plain lines – a long rectangle with a striking representation of the Last Supper on the slate facade.

A prominent local landlord and businessman in the area in the early 20th century was Brigadier General Ambrose St. Quentin Ricardo, C.M.G., C.B.E., D.S.O., Q.S.A.

By the 2000s, China had begun to dominate the linen market across Europe and this led to the closure of Herdmans Ltd production in Sion Mills in 2004, resulting in the loss of 600 jobs.

[6] On Census Day (27 March 2011) the usually resident population of Sion Mills Settlement was 1,907 accounting for 0.11% of the NI total.