Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has completed its 20-year transformation of a historic mill in Shropshire into a museum and workspace that celebrates its pioneering cast iron-framed structure.
The Grade I-listed Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings was originally constructed in 1797 by architect Charles Bage and is known as the "grandfather of skyscrapers" due to its structure, which was the first of its kind anywhere in the world.
Shrewsbury Flamill Maltings is the world's first cast iron building
The site was used as a flax mill before being converted into a maltings, or malt house, and serving a stint as a temporary barracks during the second world war. In 1987 the mill was closed and stood neglected until its eventual purchase by Historic England in 2005. Aiming to give the mill another 100 years of life, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios (FCBS) was tasked with restoring its structure to house an educational museum and offices.
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios restored the historic structure
"As a site that had been 100 years as a flax mill, and 100 years as a maltings, we wanted to help set it up for the next century of productive use," partner Geoff Rich told Dezeen.
"The project seeks to restore the main mill ? the oldest iron-framed building in the world ? as the centrepiece of a new era of productivity and usefulness."
"To do this we've rescued the building in its structural repair, and made some important changes, particularly to the design of f...