Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings: Apprentice House

The Apprentice House, part of the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings complex, dates from around 1811, with later alterations in the late 19th century and the 20th century. The complex itself was a former flax mill built in two main phases, 1796-7 and 1809-1812, designed by Charles Bage and owned and operated by Marshall, Benyon and Bage. It was converted and extended into a maltings in 1897-8, and closed in 1987.

The building is constructed of red brick with brick and stone dressings, covered by a Welsh slate roof with brick stacks. The windows are a mix of mullioned and transomed windows on the two lower floors and sash windows above, all with stone cills and brick heads. The windows are currently boarded, and the timber door pediments were removed for conservation work in 2015.

The Apprentice House is rectangular, aligned east-west. Originally, it was designed with accommodation for the Superintendent at the east end and living quarters for the apprentices elsewhere.

It is a three-storey building with attics and a cellar. The west and east gables are shaped as pediments framed by a stone band and coping. The east gable has a central entrance flanked by windows, with three windows on both the first and second floors. The west end has doorways at ground and first-floor levels (the latter formerly accessed by a staircase which has been removed), with a narrow window on each floor except the second, which has two. The north and south elevations have dentilated eaves cornices. The south elevation has window openings of varying widths under brick segmental heads, and the pattern of fenestration indicates the division of the building into two separate units. A doorway is located to the right of centre on the ground floor, with a later inserted door to the right, replacing a former window. The north elevation is similarly designed but has fewer windows on each floor specifically relating to the Superintendent’s house.

A partial inspection of the interior took place in 2015. The entrance to the Superintendent’s house opens onto a hall providing access to principal reception rooms to the north and south, as well as to the upper floors via a staircase. The northern room served as the main dining room, with a kitchen to the west. The ground floor of the remainder of the building likely housed a refectory, served by a basement kitchen, and perhaps a schoolroom. The upper floors were arranged as dormitory accommodation. Each floor was divided into two sections by a central spine wall and features a corridor running along its length.