Ditherington Flax Mill

Image: © John M Taken: 19 Sep 2009

The Grade 1 listed flax mill was built in 1796-7. It was designed to be fireproof and was the first fully iron framed mill building. As such it can be seen as the forerunner of the modern skyscraper. Further buildings such as warehouses, workshops, apprentice houses and blacksmiths shops were added in the early 1800s. Shrewsbury was a centre of the wool industry being a gateway for the sheep farms in the Welsh Borders. There was a small industry using locally grown flax however the new mill used imported flax from the Low Countries. The Shrewsbury Canal completed in 1797 fronted on to the near face of the building connecting Shrewsbury to the coal mines at Oakengates and in the 1830s to the Shropshire Union Canal at Norbury Junction. The canal was abandoned in the 1940s. The mill was sold in 1896 and converted to maltings. The open floors and fireproof construction leant itself to this new use and at this stage many of the windows on the frontage were infilled. The Grade 2 listed kiln building at the right hand end of the building was constructed. This usage continued until 1986 passing through a number of owners including Ansell's and Allied Breweries. An uncertain period followed including a period on the English Heritage 'at risk' Register. Work has recently started to protect the building fabric with the involvement of developers, Urban Splash, to find a long term future for the complex.

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