Ditherington Flax Mill
Encyclopedia
Ditherington Flax Mill http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/295465, located in Ditherington
, a suburb of Shrewsbury
, England
, is the oldest iron framed building in the world. As such, it is seen as the "grandfather of skyscraper
s", despite being only as tall as a modern five-story building. Its importance was officially recognised in the 1950s, resulting in it becoming a Grade I listed building. It is also locally known as the "Maltings" from its later use.
It is presently derelict, but is currently in the hands of English Heritage
. Plans to transform the site into homes, offices and shops were given approval in October 2010.
The Flax Mill's architect was Charles Bage
, who designed the mill using an iron-framed structure, inspired by the work of William Strutt
. The construction of the mill ran from 1796 to 1797, at a cost (including equipment) of £17000.
The mill was built for John Marshall of Leeds
, Thomas Benyon, and Benjamin Benyon. The architect, Bage, was also a partner in the venture. This partnership was dissolved in 1804, the mill being retained by John Marshall, who paid off his partners on the basis that it was worth £64000. The other partners built themselves another mill nearby. These two flax mills provided the 'chief manufacture' of Shrewsbury (according to an 1851 directory). The mill closed in 1886, and was sold (with a bleach yard at Hanwood for a mere £3000. The building was then converted to a maltings (hence its more commonly-used local name), and as a consequence many windows were bricked up.
Its design effectively overcame much of the problem of fire damage from flammable atmosphere, due to the air containing many fibres, by using a fireproof combination of cast iron
columns and cast iron beams, a system which later developed into the modern steel frame
which made skyscrapers possible.
Along with the main Flax Mill, a number of other buildings in the group are listed for their architectural and historic value: the apprentice house (Grade II*); the dye house (Grade II*); the flax dressing building (Grade II*); the flax warehouse (Grade II); the stables (Grade II); and the workshops and offices (Grade II). The mill and buildings are on the Buildings at Risk Register.
Ditherington
Ditherington is a district within the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire, England. It is the 4th most deprived ward in non-metropolitan Shropshire....
, a suburb of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, is the oldest iron framed building in the world. As such, it is seen as the "grandfather of skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
s", despite being only as tall as a modern five-story building. Its importance was officially recognised in the 1950s, resulting in it becoming a Grade I listed building. It is also locally known as the "Maltings" from its later use.
It is presently derelict, but is currently in the hands of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. Plans to transform the site into homes, offices and shops were given approval in October 2010.
The Flax Mill's architect was Charles Bage
Charles Bage
Charles Woolley Bage was an English architect, born in Derby, Derbyshire, in the United Kingdom. He was the designer of the first ever iron framed building, the Ditherington Flax Mill, located in the outskirts of Shrewsbury town centre, built between 1796 and 1797.Shortly after his birth, his...
, who designed the mill using an iron-framed structure, inspired by the work of William Strutt
William Strutt (inventor)
William Strutt FRS, was a cotton spinner in Belper, England.-Biography:Strutt was the first son of Jedediah Strutt and, after a good education, joined his father's business at the age of fourteen...
. The construction of the mill ran from 1796 to 1797, at a cost (including equipment) of £17000.
The mill was built for John Marshall of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Thomas Benyon, and Benjamin Benyon. The architect, Bage, was also a partner in the venture. This partnership was dissolved in 1804, the mill being retained by John Marshall, who paid off his partners on the basis that it was worth £64000. The other partners built themselves another mill nearby. These two flax mills provided the 'chief manufacture' of Shrewsbury (according to an 1851 directory). The mill closed in 1886, and was sold (with a bleach yard at Hanwood for a mere £3000. The building was then converted to a maltings (hence its more commonly-used local name), and as a consequence many windows were bricked up.
Its design effectively overcame much of the problem of fire damage from flammable atmosphere, due to the air containing many fibres, by using a fireproof combination of cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
columns and cast iron beams, a system which later developed into the modern steel frame
Steel frame
Steel frame usually refers to a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal -beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame...
which made skyscrapers possible.
Along with the main Flax Mill, a number of other buildings in the group are listed for their architectural and historic value: the apprentice house (Grade II*); the dye house (Grade II*); the flax dressing building (Grade II*); the flax warehouse (Grade II); the stables (Grade II); and the workshops and offices (Grade II). The mill and buildings are on the Buildings at Risk Register.