Half-term family fun at restored Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings
The history of the recently-restored 225-year-old Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings is set to be bought to life with a daily programme of events offering free half-term family fun.
People of all ages are being urged to find out more about the structure, the predecessor to modern skyscrapers, through activities set to take place from October 22 to October 30.
These will include an opportunity to meet Flax and Barley, the time-travelling, storytelling cats, a family trail, a competition to build the tallest skyscraper, badge making and daily arts and craft activities.
Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, in Spring Gardens, opened to the public for the first time in 35 years in September following a £28 million, eight-year restoration scheme.
As well as the free programme of family activities, there will be no charge for child entry to the new exhibition, called The Mill, throughout half-term.
The Mill tells the story of Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings and its crucial role in the industrial revolution.
Created by Historic England and consultants Mather & Co, it has digital and hands-on activities for all ages and features the stories of the lives of the workers, engineers, soldiers and entrepreneurs who played their part in the story of the industrial heritage building, known as the grandparent of skyscrapers.
Tickets for adults are £7.50 and pre-booking is recommended.
The exhibition also tells the story of those who campaigned to save and re-purpose this global engineering landmark for future generations to enjoy.
Alastair Godfrey, project lead, said: “We are delighted that Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings is now open and are looking forward to welcoming more and more visitors to discover the story of this fascinating place.
“We are excited about hosting a wide-range of activities for half-term week, the first of our upcoming seasonal holiday offers which are a key part of bringing the site back to life.
"They will help make it a hub for the local community and give people a reason to come back time and time again.
“We are also keen to hear from local people about their ideas on further events and activities we can host here, to get the whole community involved."
The restoration of the Main Mill and Kiln saw £20.7 million provided by the National Lottery Heritage Fund with further funds from Historic England, Shropshire Council, philanthropic donations and the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership.
