Ditherington | |
---|---|
The Ditherington Flax Mill viewed from Crewe Street | |
Location within Shropshire | |
OS grid reference | SJ502143 |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Shrewsbury |
Postcode district | SY1 |
Dialling code | 01743 |
Police | West Mercia |
Fire | Shropshire |
Ambulance | West Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Ditherington is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, the county town of Shropshire, England. It is the fourth most deprived ward in the Shropshire unitary authority area.
There has been much regeneration work in the southern part of Ditherington, which is close to Shrewsbury town centre. Various residential developments have occurred, but little has been finished.
The Flax Mill (also locally known as the "Maltings") is the oldest iron-framed building in the world and is seen as the "grandfather of skyscrapers". It was designed by Charles Bage and built in 1797 for John Marshall of Leeds and his partners.
It is a Grade I listed building. After decades of being derelict, it was restored and rejuvenated by Historic England, in partnership with the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings and other organisations. The restored building opened to the public in September 2022 with a new visitor experience centre, café, offices and hirable venue space. In the long term, it is hoped that the building will be able to make sufficient money to be self-supporting, but reaching this stage will require much investment.
The Shrewsbury and Newport Canal terminated in Ditherington, but no longer exists. This may also one day be restored.
Shropshire is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England bordering Wales. Shropshire borders with the English counties of Cheshire to the north, Staffordshire to the east, Worcestershire to the southeast, and Herefordshire to the south, and bordering Wales with the counties of Wrexham and Powys to the west. A unitary authority of the same name was created in 2009, taking over from the previous county council and five district councils, now governed by Shropshire Council. The borough of Telford and Wrekin has been a separate unitary authority since 1998, but remains part of the ceremonial county.
Church Stretton is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, 13 miles (21 km) south of Shrewsbury and 15 miles (24 km) north of Ludlow. The population in 2011 was 4,671.
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire, England. It lies 7 miles (11 km) north-east of Telford town centre, 12 miles (19 km) west of Stafford, and is near the Shropshire-Staffordshire border. The 2001 census recorded 10,814 people living in the town's parish, which rose to 11,387 by the 2011 census.
Whitchurch is a market town in the north of Shropshire, England. It lies 2 miles (3 km) east of the Welsh border, 2 miles south of the Cheshire border, 20 miles (30 km) north of the county town of Shrewsbury, 20 miles (30 km) south of Chester, and 15 miles (24 km) east of Wrexham. At the 2021 Census, the population of the town was 10,141. Whitchurch is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. Notable people who have lived in Whitchurch include the composer Sir Edward German, and illustrator Randolph Caldecott.
Shrewsbury and Atcham was a local government district with borough status in Shropshire, England, between 1974 and 2009.
Sundorne is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is located 2 km north of the town centre. The B5062 road begins at Heathgates Roundabout and is called Sundorne Road in the Sundorne area, before crossing the Shrewsbury by-pass at Sundorne Roundabout and heading east towards Newport. Population : 5123, reducing to 3,957 at the 2011 census.
Harlescott is a suburb of the town of Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire. It is one of the most industrial parts of the town, and is the 5th most deprived ward in non-metropolitan Shropshire Neighbouring suburbs include Sundorne to the east and Ditherington to the south. Note that many locals, particularly those born before about 1985, use the term "Harlescott" to refer to a wider area than the council ward, including much of what is officially "Sundorne" and also much of the Heathgates and Mount Pleasant areas.
Shropshire was established during the division of Saxon Mercia into shires in the 10th century. It is first mentioned in 1006. After the Norman Conquest it experienced significant development, following the granting of the principal estates of the county to eminent Normans, such as Roger De Montgomery and his son Robert de Bellême.
Frankwell is a district of the town of Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, England. It lies adjacent to the River Severn, to the northwest of the town centre, and is one of Shrewsbury's oldest suburbs. The main road running through the area is also called Frankwell.
All Stretton is a village and a now separate civil parish in Shropshire, England. Much of it is covered by a Conservation Area.
The English county of Shropshire has a fairly large railway network, with 19 National Rail stations on various national lines; there are also a small number of heritage and freight lines, including the famous heritage Severn Valley Railway running along its eastern border with Worcestershire.
The town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England, has a history that extends back at least as far as the year 901, but it could have been first settled earlier. During the early Middle Ages, the town was a centre of the wool trade, and this was a peak in its importance. During the Industrial Revolution, comparatively little development took place in the town, although it did serve as a significant railway town after the development of rail transport in the area. The town today retains much of its historic architecture.
The Shrewsbury Canal was a canal in Shropshire, England. Authorised in 1793, the main line from Trench to Shrewsbury was fully open by 1797, but it remained isolated from the rest of the canal network until 1835, when the Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal built the Newport Branch from Norbury Junction to a new junction with the Shrewsbury Canal at Wappenshall. After ownership passed to a series of railway companies, the canal was officially abandoned in 1944; many sections have disappeared, though some bridges and other structures can still be found. There is an active campaign to preserve the remnants of the canal and to restore the Norbury to Shrewsbury line to navigation.
Church Stretton railway station is a railway station serving the town of Church Stretton in Shropshire, England on the Welsh Marches Line, 12+3⁄4 miles (20.5 km) south of Shrewsbury railway station; trains on the Heart of Wales Line also serve the station. All trains services are operated by Transport for Wales, who also manage the station.
Cound is a village and civil parish on the west bank of the River Severn in the English county of Shropshire, about 7 miles south east of the county town Shrewsbury. Once a busy and industrious river port Cound has now reverted to a quiet rural community and dormitory village, for commuters to the commercial centres of Shrewsbury and Telford.
Coleham is a district of the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. It is located just south, over the River Severn, from Shrewsbury town centre.
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady Help of Christians and Saint Peter of Alcantara, commonly known as Shrewsbury Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Shrewsbury, England. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury and mother church of the Diocese of Shrewsbury, which covers the historic counties of Shropshire and Cheshire.
Ditherington Flax Mill, a flax mill located in Ditherington, a suburb of Shrewsbury, England, is the first iron-framed building in the world, and described as "the grandfather of skyscrapers", despite its five-storey height. Its importance was officially recognised in the 1950s, resulting in it becoming a Grade I listed building. It is also locally known as the "Maltings" from its later use. The mill is in the hands of Historic England and is currently in use as a mixed-use workspace and exhibition following its official opening in 2022.
Charles Woolley Bage (1751–1822) was an English architect, born in a Quaker family in Derby, Derbyshire, in the United Kingdom. He was the designer of the first ever iron framed building, the Ditherington Flax Mill, located in the outskirts of Shrewsbury town centre, built between 1796 and 1797. He not only built the first but also the 3rd and 8th steel framed buildings in the world.
Shrewsbury is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, 150 miles (240 km) north-west of London. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782.