Mather & Co, a leading visitor attraction and exhibition design consultancy, is celebrating the opening of the new The Mill exhibition, inside Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings’ restored Main Mill space.

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, known as the ‘grandparent of skyscrapers’, has been updated for the visitor of today with a new exhibition, alongside an independent café, a shop, offices, and a venue space. Now, guests can enjoy a space suitable for visiting, working, learning, playing and eating, within the newly restored industrial mill.

For this project, Mather & Co was responsible for the exhibition design, content development, and internal and external interpretation throughout the site. The firm also designed the new site tour which is set to open next year.

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings dates back to 1797 and is an internationally significant building. Created as a fireproof textile mill, it was the world’s first iron-framed building, paving the way for the skyscrapers of the future. In 2014, Historic England took leadership of a project to create a long-term future for the venue, with the aim of developing a hub for the community.

“From the grandparent of skyscrapers to the ground-breaking conservation and restoration project, the new interpretation and exhibition spaces tell the story of this unique site and celebrates the individuals and communities who have helped shape what we see today,” says Paul Lee, design director at Mather & Co.

“It has been a pleasure and privilege for Mather & Co to be a part of this journey. We hope this will connect with today’s audiences and bring these stories to life through the new exhibition spaces for the next generation of visitors.”

A new exhibition, The Mill, created by Historic England and Mather & Co, tells the story of the building and its key role in the industrial revolution. The exhibition is split into five themes.

Firstly, ‘Town and Transformation’ explores the development of the site and its influence on the town, then ‘Engineering and Build’ looks at its original designer Charles Bage and how he came up with the idea. Next, ‘People and Process’ tells the stories of the men, women and children at the flax mill and also looks at the experiences and memories of the maltsters and their families after the later conversion into a maltings.

The ‘Adaptation and Change’ theme shows how the site has changed and been used for different purposes over the years, and finally ‘Legacy and Impact’ delves into the building’s final transformation and its future legacy.

Exhibition highlights include a large 3D mill model which reveals what happened inside the building at different points in time, an interactive touch table, and physical interactives that take visitors through the process of spinning thread and the many uses of flax.

There is also a floor projection that explains the story of the Maltings, alongside audio exhibits that give visitors a chance to hear from former Maltings workers and their families and those involved in the restoration project in their own words, and a large wall graphic featuring an iron truss from 1840 telling the story of how Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings inspired skylines across the world.

Plus, guests can enjoy a multisensory AV experience in the old Engine House, where they will view a short film that brings the Mill’s original steam engine to life in situ, featuring sensory effects of the engines and machinery.

On the ground floor of the Main Mill, there is now a shop and an independent café. Turned Wood Café is run by the local owners behind Shropshire’s The Green Wood Café and is based on the principles of accessibility and environmental awareness, with local produce on sale. Meanwhile, the new café will provide plant-based food and drinks.

On the upper four floors, there is around 28,000 square feet of unique commercial office space, with additional circulation and meeting spaces within the Kiln for commercial tenants.

For younger visitors, the Workshop of Ideas encourages them to explore and test the ideas behind the groundbreaking design. Two characters, cats Flax and Barley, have been created to guide children and families through the exhibition and around the site, posing questions and pointing out interesting facts as they progress through the space.

The restoration of the Grade I listed Main Mill and the Grade II listed Kiln was made possible by a £20.7 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, as well as funds from the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and from project partners Historic England, Shropshire Council and the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings.

Robyn Llewellyn, director of England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund says: “We are thrilled to have supported the redevelopment of Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings with a grant of £20.7m, made possible thanks to National Lottery players. I would like to thank Historic England and The Friends of Flaxmill Maltings for their tireless efforts in bringing this important heritage site back to life, ensuring its trailblazing history is preserved for all to celebrate.”

Alastair Godfrey, project lead at Historic England adds: “After years of restoration work, we can’t wait to welcome visitors from all over Shrewsbury, Shropshire and beyond to visit this fascinating and important site and to learn more about its role in the region and in shaping the modern world.”

The building has a ground-source heat pump that will part power the exhibition. In addition, the base build of the exhibition space and the window ledges incorporated reused materials. The site is a flagship project for Historic England, showing how historic buildings can be sustainably reused and how technology can be used in heritage sites to help tackle climate change.

Earlier this year, Mather & Co announced that it has been selected to engage future visitors with the story of Manchester Town Hall, following a competitive tender process. The firm will oversee the experience design, content, and interpretation of a new visitor experience in the city centre, which forms an iconic backdrop to Manchester’s popular Christmas markets each year.

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