Tours for businesses at Flaxmill

Shrewsbury’s historic Flaxmill Maltings will be opening its doors to Shropshire businesses next month for two exclusive guided tours.

Members of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce and Shropshire Constructing Excellence are being invited to go behind the scenes at the former mill and find out how work is progressing to restore the buildings to their former glory.

The events will take place on November 8 with Chamber members invited to attend the morning session from 10am to 12.30pm and SCE members asked to join the afternoon tour from 1.30pm to 4pm. A sandwich lunch for all parties will be held from 12.30pm to 1.30pm.

Visitors will be able to see the Main Mill repair works in progress and meet The Friends of Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings and Historic England staff.

The guided tour will include an inspection of the building works in progress, both inside and out, and the contractor, Croft Building Conservation Ltd, will show the current repairs being carried out to the slate roof and the brickwork.

Gareth Emberton (pictured), chair of business network SCE, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for all businesses, particularly those in the construction sector, to see one of the world's first iron framed buildings, that was the forerunner of the modern skyscraper.

“They can learn more about the scale and complexity of the repairs that are being done to restore to the Grade I listed main mill and Grade II listed kiln as well as hear about future developments on the site.”

Anyone interested in joining a tour should contact teresa@shropshireconstruction.co.uk

Tickets, available on a first come first served basis as numbers are limited, will be £15 to include lunch with all donations going to the Friends of Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings.