The history of Shrewsbury Flaxmill-Maltings, now in its third century, was the subject of a talk to Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club by Richard Bonella, a volunteer tour guide at the Mill. He told Rotarians that the Flaxmill was built in1796-7 and was designed to be proof against fire, which was a major hazard in mills of the day.
It was designed by Charles Bage, a Shrewsbury man, for John Marshall, a linen producer of Leeds, and his partners Thomas and Benjamin Benyon, who were Shrewsbury wool merchants. The key development embodied in the mill was that its columns and beams were all cast-iron and supported five storeys of brick-arched floors. Its spinning machines were powered by steam-engines.
Other buildings were added and the mill produced linen thread for 90 years. When it eventually closed, it was empty for a decade, but then bought by William Jones and converted into a malting. Among other changes to the buildings was the blocking up of windows. This led to the view of the outer walls which, said Richard, we have long been familiar with.
When the Maltings finally closed in1986 it again stood empty. Now it has been rescued by Historic England and their contractors. The reinforcement and renovation of the Main Mill has included opening up the blocked windows. The website refers to Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings as ‘The grandparent of skyscrapers’. There is an exhibition and cafe on the ground floor, opening hours for these are on the Historic England Flaxmill website. The four upper floors are to be let as office space. Land to the north and east of the buildings, where mill-workers houses once stood, will be redeveloped for low-rise housing. Profits from the sale of land will be re-invested in the repair of the remaining buildings on the site.
