Ditherington Mill: Blacksmith’s Shop and Stables

Image: Blacksmith’s Shop, Ditherington.

Photograph by: Nabi Heydari (April 2003)

The evidence provided by brickwork suggests a date before 1805 for the construction of the blacksmith’s shop (right) and stables (centre).  These two buildings show that large factory complexes provided more than units for manufacturing goods. Employees at the blacksmith’s shop were likely to conduct minor repairs to machinery and iron which was used in the construction of Ditherington Mill. They would also shoe the horses from the stables next to the shop. Given the considerable traffic in goods to and from the mill, horses were an essential means of transport, despite the presence of the Shrewsbury Canal.