As English Heritage prepares to take on the day to day running of Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings tomorrow, marking their first new paid-for site in 21 years, a poignant appeal echoes through the historic walls: find the lost bell.
This bell, a silent sentinel of the Industrial Revolution, holds a profound significance. It was the voice of the Flaxmill, a groundbreaking structure that served as the blueprint for modern skyscrapers, forever altering urban landscapes worldwide. For nearly two centuries, its resonant peals dictated the rhythm of life for Shrewsbury residents, marking the beginning and end of each working day.
The mill, established in 1797, demanded a vast workforce of 800, a third of whom were children, many brought from as far as London and Hull under the harsh parish apprenticeship system. These children, often orphans, endured long, grueling days under brutal conditions. The bell, in its imposing 24-inch presence, would have summoned these young laborers from the nearby Apprentice House.
“We believe the bell went missing in the late 1980s or early 1990s, when Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings was left derelict,” explains Matt Thompson, Curatorial Director of English Heritage. “Whilst it is possible that the bell could have been melted down, it is more likely that someone took it as a souvenir of this imposing, historic building which – at the time – looked close to ruin. Maybe it’s sitting in someone’s garden or in a shed now?”
The bell, distinctively cast with the year ‘1797’, originally operated with a pull rope, transitioning to an electric chiming mechanism after World War II. Its disappearance during the building’s dereliction after the 1987 closure of the maltings leaves a gaping hole in the Flaxmill’s narrative.
The Flaxmill’s story is not just one of architectural innovation. It’s a testament to the social upheaval of the Industrial Revolution, a crucible of change that shaped modern society. The exploitation of child labor, the urban migration, and the relentless working hours spurred labour reform movements and crucial legislation like the 1833 Factory Act, for which testimonies from Flaxmill workers proved vital.
“The lost bell is a symbol of this huge societal shift,” Thompson emphasises. “It oversaw the increased reliance on machinery, the dwindling fortunes of the flax industry, the change in purpose to a maltings, and, after a brief silence whilst the building housed soldiers during World War Two, it was given an electric chiming mechanism to ring out over the handful of workers at the Maltings.”
From its origins as a flax mill to its later incarnation as a maltings and even a temporary military barracks during World War II, the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings has witnessed the passage of time. After years of dereliction, Historic England, in partnership with Shropshire Council and the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings, undertook the monumental task of restoring this architectural marvel.
Now, as English Heritage takes over the day-to-day operations of the visitor attraction, which includes a self-guided exhibition and behind-the-scenes tours, the search for the lost bell takes on renewed urgency.
“It would be a fitting end to the incredible story of Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings if we could find the bell and restore it to its rightful place, providing today’s visitors with an audible connection to the site’s history and past generations of workers,” Thompson concludes.
The appeal is a call to reconnect with the past, to restore a lost voice, and to complete the story of a building that forever changed the world. If you have any information about the missing bell, English Heritage urges you to come forward and help bring this vital piece of history home.
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