'Collapse' concerns over roofs at Shrewsbury Flaxmill buildings prompts plans for reinforcements
Plans have been lodged to secure roofs at Shrewsbury’s Flaxmill site after concerns were raised that they might collapse.
Safety issues were discovered at the Grade I-listed Cross Mill and Warehouse buildings at the historic former flaxmill and maltings, which was the first iron-framed building in the world and considered “the grandfather of skyscrapers”.
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The site, which fell derelict in 1987, was subject of a £32 million Historic England revamp into a cultural and commercial centre, opening to the public in September 2022.
A design and access statement on behalf of Historic England said: “The Cross Mill and Warehouse buildings are part of the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings site, a complex of Grade I and II listed industrial buildings dating from the late 18th and early 19th century.
“The Warehouse building was built in c.1810. The Cross Mill was built in 1812, replacing a previous building which was destroyed by a fire in 1811.
“The new buildings were designed to be fire-proof and are constructed from masonry jack arches spanning between a cast iron framed structure, with solid brick external walls.
“The buildings have four floors plus an unoccupied loft/roof space.
“The roof is a double pitched roof and is constructed from timber roof joists spanning between cast iron purlins which are supported by cast iron trusses.
“Both the Cross Mill and the Warehouse are Grade I-listed. They are recognised as being some of the country’s oldest surviving iron-framed buildings and they demonstrate the rapid development of cast iron as a structural material in the first decade of the 19th century.
“The Cross Mill and Warehouse are unoccupied but other buildings on the site are used for a variety of uses including a visitor experience operated by English Heritage, and office accommodation.
“As part of our client’s regular maintenance and monitoring of the Flax Mill site, a structural inspection of the buildings has been undertaken.
“This has identified a number of safety concerns relating to the bracing of the cast iron roof and building frame structure and the overall stability of the structures.
“These proposals seek to address these concerns and ensure the long term safety of the buildings.”
The proposed alterations include the installation of timber block noggins, steel bracing and steel restraint straps.
The statement added: “To avoid having a negative impact on the significance of the building and roof structure, the proposed works have been carefully designed to prevent the loss of any historic fabric or physical damage to the existing structure, and ensure the legibility of the alterations.
“The proposed alterations to the existing roof structures of the Cross Mill and Warehouse buildings are essential to ensuring the stability of the structures, safeguarding the future of the buildings from potential collapse, and protecting the public.
“The proposals will have no significant impact on the heritage asset.
“The designs have been sensitively considered to ensure the significance of the historic cast iron structure are not affected by the installation of the new bracing and stabilisation works, and the proposals are legible and easily reversible.”
To view the planning application, visit Shropshire Council's planning portal (reference 26/00093/LBC).
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