In 1797, an extraordinary building went up in Shropshire that would change the skylines of our cities forever.
Among those who made the most fortune were two brothers named Thomas and Benjamin Benyon.
So the two brothers decided to diversify into the booming flax-based linen industry.
In addition, most buildings at that time used timber frames in their construction with wooden floorings.
Once a fire began, it was extremely difficult to stop it.
Meanwhile, the brothers found a site in Ditherington that was ideal for a mill.
But first they needed to find a way to stop the fires that had been threatening mills.
Bage was a wine merchant who also dabbled in engineering.
Bage designed a five-story building that had an internal frame made entirely from cast iron.
The frame was made up of three rows of cast iron columns and cast iron beams extended between them.
Together this made a sturdy and fireproof structure.
The cast iron columns of the mill floors.
Photo:www.shrewsburyflaxmillmaltings.org.uk
A close-up of the ornately designed compression struts at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings.
Photo:www.shrewsburyflaxmillmaltings.org.uk
Indeed, the building was so solid, it outlived its original purpose.
The flax mill closed in 1897, exactly one hundred years after it opened.
The maltings operated for ninety years before it too closed facing stiff competition from modern production methods.
The building soon fell into disrepair and concerns grew as to what to do with it.
In 2005, the site was acquired by English Heritage, and later in 2015, by Historic England.
