Iona's Experience - A Placement Case Study
Text by Elianna Ausdahl, placement participant, 2024
The story of Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings began in 1797. As the first iron-framed building in the world, it is often referred to as the grandfather of skyscrapers. After a century of life as a flax mill, the buildings were adapted to become the Shropshire Maltings until the door closed in 1987. Abandoned and falling into disrepair, the Flaxmill Maltings were bought by Historic England in 2005.
This was the beginning of a major heritage conservation project. The restoration effort involved countless contributions from many individuals and organisations. As part of the project, 60 work placements were run by Historic England across 5 years. Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, a diverse range of placement participants have been supporting the extraordinary project at the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, all whilst learning valuable skills for work in the heritage sector.
It truly all began with taking a chance with this placement.
Opening doors: Iona’s story
In 2021, Iona applied to the placement position of Exhibition Research Co-ordinator at a time when she was seeking direction in her career. Little did she know that this experience would give her more than just direction, it would define her career path.
Iona’s role was to research sensitive stories and social histories for an exhibition at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings. Not only did she learn about this complex history, but she also gained valuable experience in how exhibitions come together creatively and logistically. She spent her days pouring over digital and physical archives for information on the working conditions, use of indentured labour and slave connections in the Flaxmill’s history.
At the end of six weeks, she produced a comprehensive report covering these and other themes. This report was then used to identify key areas to be explored in the exhibition you now see today.
It was brilliant to learn how Historic England and Mather & Co are bringing such tremendous projects together and knowing I was a part of that will remain with me throughout my career.
Iona describes “a great sense of achievement”, after finishing her placement, but the story doesn’t stop there. Mather & Co., a museum design company who had partnered with Historic England to host this placement, picked up on Iona’s potential while working with her. Once her placement had finished, she was offered a full-time role with them and is now in her third year of a career she loves.
What three phrases would you use to describe your placement?
"A turning point"
Iona describes her Historic England placement as a turning point for her professionally and personally. From her placement she gained:
- Confidence in her abilities to produce high quality research.
- Experience in the heritage sector specifically in the context of exhibition research and curation.
- Employment as a direct result of her placement programme.
"Historically valuable"
Iona’s work to uncover the complex social history of the site contributed to the permanent exhibition at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings (pictured above). Her research provided another layer to the historically valuable story of the Flaxmill Maltings.
"Exciting"
Iona’s placement gave her the chance to be a part of the exciting Flaxmill Maltings Project which is breathing new life into the site every day. Three years later, she reflects that, “I was involved in something bigger than I’d been involved in before.”
What would you say to someone looking to participate in a similar placement?
Do it! Take the opportunity if it comes up or is offered to you. It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made… it really did open doors for me that had felt closed before.
