Folklore expert and Tanners Events Manager Alix Chidley-Uttley highlights one of the many historical features at Tanners HQ.
It’s easy to overlook the timber beneath our feet, but on visiting Tanners HQ they are often something that attracts the gaze as much as they do questions!
Some of the most remarkable survivals in historic buildings are the floorboards themselves. The flooring in the passageway at Tanners, Wyle Cop, is known to be old, reclaimed railway sleepers. The wood is likely Jarrah, starting its journey in the forests of Western Australia and retiring in the wine heart of Shrewsbury. That’s quite a trip!
Jarrah, or Eucalyptus marginata if you want to show off, is a hardwood native to Western Australia. Exceptionally dense, naturally resistant to rot, and with just enough give, it’s remarkably durable. It became one of the most important imported timbers of the nineteenth century. From the 1880s onwards, it was shipped to Britain - initially to replace cobblestones - before finding a new role in the rapidly expanding railway network. Its strength made it ideal for sleepers expected to withstand decades of weight, vibration, and exposure to the elements. It might not be exposed to the elements here at Tanners today, but it still bears the load of hundreds of feet every year, and it’s ageing like... well, like a fine wine!
When sleepers reached the end of their railway service, their hardiness meant they could be repurposed for industrial flooring in warehouses, breweries, and, in this instance, a wine merchant. Premises that handled heavy loads demanded a surface that could endure constant punishment. It seems a rather thankless task, but they do gather a lot of praise for their uniqueness and undeniable rustic charm. During the mid-twentieth century, when wine was still bottled on the premises, countless barrels, bottles, and workers passed over these boards every day. Their survival is a testament to the extraordinary resilience of the timber.
Jarrah also bears the marks of a life well lived. Its rich reddish-brown colour deepens with age, while old boards often reveal plugged bolt holes, scars, and abrasions that hint at their previous existence. They are, in effect, working objects that have simply changed jobs. Perhaps that is what makes this floor so fascinating. It’s not merely a surface to walk across, but a piece of industrial archaeology linking Victorian global trade, Britain's railways, and Shrewsbury's wine trade in a single stretch of timber. That’s quite something!
