A new interactive visitor experience and education facility is set to open at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings charting the site’s history, along with the story of its engineering, architectural and social legacy.
The visitor centre, which will be managed by the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings, will open for a special preview to invited guests, followed by a community open event, on Tuesday 24 November, 2015, before opening officially to the public.
The centre will bring together for the first time interpretations of the mill’s role in the industrial revolution and the pioneers who made it happen. Visitors will be able to learn about the building’s revolutionary iron frame and its impact on the world of architecture, how flax was processed, from the field to the end product and information about the mill’s machinery and technology. Plus the working conditions at the mill, including child labour. The centre also explains the change of use from Flaxmill to Maltings and the malting process.
There will also be a short animation film that visitors can watch which charts the history of the building and its people, as well as well as oral history recollections of people who worked at the Maltings and who were barracked there during the last war.
Historic England, previously known as English Heritage, took over the site in 2005 in order to halt its decline, making sure these important buildings are secure and weather-tight. Working in partnership with the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings and Shropshire Council, the site is steadily being revived. Regeneration was kick-started by the Department for Communities and Local Government who awarded a funding package of £1.17m through the European Regional Development Fund.
Stage one has seen the conversion of the office and stables which will be managed by the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings as a visitor centre, including reception, interpretation displays, film and audio material, research and learning resources. The 1950s silo was also demolished, providing pleasant open space for cultural, interpretation and public use.
As well as managing the visitor centre, the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings will also provide guided tours of the historic buildings so that organisations, groups and individuals can explore, learn, participate in and enjoy the unique and varied heritage. The Friends are also carrying out a research project which has uncovered the fascinating stories of the people who worked at the Flaxmill, even tracing a number of their descendants, some of whom still live in the Shrewsbury area. They are also soon to commence working on education facilities and resources for use by schools and colleges.
Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, is being brought back to life with the launch of a visitor centre thanks to a £2.3 million regeneration project supported by Historic England and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
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