Last chance to see progress at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings

Work is progressing at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, the world's first iron-framed building and the forerunner to the modern skyscraper, and the site will soon be closed until spring next year for the new visitor experience.

The Visitor Centre will be reopened by Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings on Sundays from July 4 for 10 weeks, before closing to the public until next year. The centre has been closed since last October due to the pandemic. It will be open from 10am-4pm with no pre-booking required.

Full site tours are not possible due to access being restricted by construction works, but guided historic walks in the area are taking place every other Sunday.

Peter Dunhill, board member of the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings and guided walk leader, said: “We have been eagerly looking forward to reopening the Visitor Centre and welcoming back visitors to the site. Our historic walks are ideal for this summer and will introduce people to the stories behind familiar sites that they may have seen many times without realising their importance.”

Alastair Godfrey, Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings’ project lead for Historic England said: “We have been very fortunate on this project to be able to share the developments and construction works up-close with the community and, like the Friends, we are keen to open up the gates again between July and September and allow people a view of the works for a final time, while they are still in progress.

"An enormous amount of work is taking place behind the scenes to create a vibrant and engaging new visitor experience and a cafe on the ground floor of the Main Mill and we look forward to revealing these fantastic new facilities, and welcoming people back once again when they open in spring next year.”

The restoration of the Grade I listed Main Mill and the Grade II Kiln is currently taking place thanks to a £20.7m grant from National Lottery players through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, combined with additional funding from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership via its Growth Deal with Government, and from project partners Historic England, Shropshire Council and the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings.

The revitalised site will become a new learning and enterprise quarter for Shrewsbury, with offices for the region’s creative industries. It is hoped that will help drive the town’s renaissance as a regional economic hub, as it was when Shropshire led the way in the Industrial Revolution.

There are also plans for 120 new homes on the site.