The Ditherington Flax Mill, promoted as the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, is a flax mill in the county town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. It is the world's first iron-framed building. It is also seen as the world's first skyscraper, often being described as "the grandfather of skyscrapers", despite it being only as tall as a modern-day five-storey building. In the 1950s, it became a Grade I listed building. The site is owned by of Historic England.
Construction
Its architect was Charles Bage, who designed the mill using an iron-framed structure, inspired by the work of William Strutt. The columns and cross-beams were made by William Hazledine at his foundry in Shrewsbury. The construction of the mill ran from 1796 to 1797, at a cost of £17,000 (including equipment).
Visitor centre
There is an exhibition open to the public on the ground floor of the Main Mill which officially opened on 10 September 2022.