Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings

You can commence your visit from various locations within the site. In this guide, we shall begin at the south gate, affording a view of the front facade. The verdant lawn in front delineates the original course of the Shrewsbury Canal, which once traversed past the mill. This canal played a pivotal role in the mill owners’ decision to choose this location, as it served as a crucial conduit for receiving raw materials and transporting finished products before the advent of railways.

Proceed through the gates for a closer inspection of the structure. The primary edifice was the original mill, constructed in 1797, housing a substantial Boulton & Watt steam engine to power spinning machinery. In 1810, a southern extension was added, situated to the far left. It accommodated a new 60-horsepower beam engine to operate additional machinery. Take note of the substantial stone blocks halfway up its end wall, positioned between two windows, which supported a weighty beam upon which the steam engine’s ‘rocker beam’ pivoted.

Advance to the front of the building, where you’ll encounter a circular metal grate signifying the location of a chimney erected in 1841. Observe the textured bricks outlining six rectangles, designating the positions of former boilers. These boilers supplied copious amounts of steam to the steam engines propelling the flax mill machinery, filling dye house vats, and drying yarn and thread in the stove house. These boilers and the chimney were dismantled in the late 19th century during the site’s conversion into a maltings. The erstwhile boiler house was repurposed before eventual demolition, leaving the slanted roofline still discernible along the southern face of the kiln in the distance.

Cast your gaze upon the main mill building. Many of the mill’s grand windows were sealed during its transformation into a maltings, while others were resized. This was necessitated to regulate light and humidity, critical factors in the malting process.

We shall now proceed to the rear of the building. As you circumnavigate the south engine house, you’ll encounter the stables and smithy, erected around 1800. These stables housed workhorses responsible for powering the mill, while the blacksmith forged iron tools and mended machine components.

The space to the right of the smithy once accommodated a tall concrete barley silo. Deemed unsafe following a structural inspection, it was razed during the site’s restoration. You can still see it using Google Maps street view from May 2011.

The structure to the right is the stove house, used for drying thread and yarn. The original stove house underwent expansion in the 1840s, constituting much of its current appearance. Take note of the black cat flap on the side. Rats were drawn to the site when it was converted into a maltings due to the presence of barley, prompting the introduction of cats. However, workers started feeding the felines, causing them to cease rat-catching activities. Consequently, the maltings management imposed a prohibition on cat feeding!

Adjacent to the stove house lies the dye house, employed for dyeing thread and yarn. The extant structure, dating from the 1850s, replaced the original dye house and awaits restoration.

Look upward for a view of the Jubilee Tower. Erected in 1897 during the site’s conversion into a maltings, it housed a hoist for transporting grain across all floors and a chute for depositing grain into the kiln, the final phase of the malting process. Its construction coincided with Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, prompting the inclusion of a cast-iron coronet adorned with intricate details, including sunflowers. Manufactured by Macfarlane & Co. of Glasgow, this design was utilized at various UK locations during that era. Although tours of the Jubilee Tower are available, they were unavailable during our visit.

Continue walking past the dye house, around the rear of the site, past the car park. You will notice a solitary building, which served as the apprentice and superintendent’s dwelling. Constructed in 1810, it featured separate dormitories for boys and girls who worked full-time in exchange for their lodging, receiving no monetary compensation. The building also incorporated a dining hall and a schoolroom where education was provided after the children’s shifts. Many of them were sent here from parish workhouses. Later repurposed as a laboratory and worker flats during the maltings’ conversion, it currently awaits restoration.

Proceed past the apprentice house through the expansive archway leading to the kiln. Here, you’ll find the sole remnants of the site’s railway, which once connected to the main line, still paralleling the car park at the rear of the site. The railway extended into the kiln to deliver coal.

As you continue down the corridor, you’ll encounter a coal furnace to your right. Installed during the kiln’s 1960s upgrade, it burned anthracite coal, known for its high heat output and extended burn time. A substantial fan directed hot air upward, ensuring a consistent temperature throughout the kiln.

The next right will lead you into the kiln. Erected in 1897 during the maltings’ conversion, this facility played a critical role in the final stage of the malting process, heating germinated barley to transform it into malt, a key brewing ingredient. Originally designed by Henry Stopes, the kiln was heated by coal furnaces, and its floors consisted of perforated tiles to facilitate heat circulation. Maltsters toiled inside, spreading and turning the grain before shovelling it out. A vanished second floor in the kiln, indicated by the remaining cast-iron support columns, once existed. Presently, the kiln houses lift shafts and staircases, providing access to offices above the ground floor.

In one corner stands a Redler Bulk Thrower, employed to distribute barley evenly across the kiln floor. Maltsters oscillated it from side to side to achieve a consistent depth. The thrower was stored in an adjacent room when not in use. To the right, a safety sign was posted, warning maltsters of potential hazards within the kiln.

You now have the option to explore The Mill Exhibition, which requires paid admission. It features numerous exhibitions and informational displays chronicling the site’s history. Observe the leveling board on exhibit, used by maltsters to shift and level loose grain across the malting floors, ensuring uniform depth.

At the end of the exhibition hall, the highlight awaits—a glimpse of an original cast-iron column. This is the reason for the site’s significant recognition, as it represents the world’s first cast-iron framed building. Rows of these columns, connected by cast-iron beams, support the floors, with wrought-iron tie rods preventing them from separating. This constituted a fireproof structure. The iron was cast in Shrewsbury by William Hazledine, renowned for supplying engineering projects designed by Thomas Telford.

The exhibition offers much more to explore, beyond the scope of this visitor’s guide. Take your time to peruse the items and delve deeper into the mill’s development and the individuals who worked there. Depart the main exhibition hall through the north engine house, now transformed into a small cinema screening a film about the mill. Adjacent to the exit, another room displays items of interest. Note the original timber beam discovered during restoration work, placed between the brick walls to support the ends of the cast-iron beams. Although no timber was exposed in open spaces, its internal use demonstrates how Charles Bage, the designer of the mill had not quite grasped how to use solely iron and bricks. This highlights the revolutionary nature of this structure at a time when designers like Bage were breaking away from traditional building techniques.

During our visit to Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, we were fortunate to book a behind-the-scenes guided tour, granting us access to the third floor. This offered a unique opportunity to view the mill/maltings floor in its original layout, as other floors have been partitioned into offices. The cast iron beams between the columns and wrought iron tie rods are clearly visible. Notice the distinct beam running along the width of the space, marking the boundary between the original mill constructed in 1797 (to the right), and its extension after 1804 (to the left). In summary, 204 columns of different designs and 136 beams were required for the mill. The beams, in particular, required precise and complex casting, especially where they fitted with the columns, the walls, and the machinery.

The tour concluded with a visit to the Cross Mill. Originally constructed with a timber frame as an extension of the original cast iron framed mill, it was destroyed by fire in 1811 around the time gas lighting was installed. It was subsequently rebuilt with a fireproof iron frame, and the structure is currently awaiting restoration. It provided us with a glimpse of what the building would have looked like after the maltings closed in 1987, with numerous items from its malting years on display.

To conclude your visit, you may wish to visit the café for coffee and cake.