Ditherington Flax Mill

The Ditherington Flax Mill, promoted as the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, is a flax mill in the county town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. It is the world's first iron-framed building. It is also seen as the world's first skyscraper, often being described as "the grandfather of skyscrapers", despite it being only as tall as a modern-day five-storey building. In the 1950s, it became a Grade I listed building. The site is owned by of Historic England.

View of the Maltings from St Michael's Street in December 2018

Construction

Its architect was Charles Bage, who designed the mill using an iron-framed structure, inspired by the work of William Strutt. The columns and cross-beams were made by William Hazledine at his foundry in Shrewsbury. The construction of the mill ran from 1796 to 1797, at a cost of £17,000 (including equipment).

Visitor centre

There is an exhibition open to the public on the ground floor of the Main Mill which officially opened on 10 September 2022.

Other websites

• Official website