Ditherington Flax Mill

Ditherington Flax Mill
Section of the rear of the main part of the flax mill
General information
Town or city	Shrewsbury
Country	United Kingdom
Construction started	1796
Completed	1797
Cost	£17000 (including the cost of mill equipment)
Client	John Marshall, Thomas Benyon, Benjamin Benyon
Design and construction
Architect	Charles Bage

Coordinates: 52°43′10″N 2°44′36″W / 52.7195°N 2.7432°W / 52.7195; -2.7432

Ditherington Flax Mill, a Flax mill located in Ditherington, a suburb of Shrewsbury, England, is the first iron-framed building in the world. As such, it is seen as the world's first skyscraper described as "the grandfather of skyscrapers", despite being only as tall as a modern five-storey 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 derelict, and is in the hands of Historic England. Plans to transform the site into 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. Castlefields Mill was built by the other partners 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.