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Located just six miles outside Telford, in the stunning Shropshire countryside, is an area once described as “the most extraordinary district in the world” – the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.
The Ironbridge Gorge legacy began in 1709 when Coalbrookdale-based Abraham Darby became the first person in history to smelt iron successfully in a blast furnace using coke as a fuel instead of charcoal. He also perfected the technique of using fine sand moulds.
Decades later his grandson, Abraham Darby III, built the world’s first arched cast-iron bridge over the River Severn. It opened in 1781.
During the 18th century the Darbys’ Coalbrookdale Company became market leaders, first with cooking utensils, then steam engine cylinders and architectural parts.
A good starting point for a visit to Ironbridge is the Museum of the Gorge. About a mile from the Iron Bridge, it was built by the Coalbrookdale Company as a transhipment warehouse in 1834. Goods would be brought down from the furnaces and forges in Coalbrookdale and shipped down the River Severn to the markets of Gloucester, Bristol and beyond. Nowadays the museum provides visitors with a fascinating insight into the history of the Ironbridge Gorge.
About a mile away, at the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, visitors find the remains of the Old Furnace, where Abraham Darby’s experiments with coke laid the foundations for his company’s success. The furnace, selected as the recipient of the 100th Engineering Heritage Award from the IMechE, was enlarged in 1777 to help meet demand for the iron needed to make the parts of the Iron Bridge. Also on this site is a smaller snapper furnace, used to supplement output in times of high demand.
The museum building, which was the Great Warehouse, was built in 1838. The interior of the museum reveals the history of the Coalbrookdale Company and provides some insight into the people who worked for it. One stand-out character was William Ball, an iron puddler known as the Shropshire Giant who, at 5ft 9in, weighed 40 stone and had to have a special chair made for him.
As well as visiting the Ironbridge Gorge museums, an exploration of the surrounding valley is rewarding. Streams running down the valley feed six furnace pools which were created to harness water power to turn the wheels to work the bellows for the blast furnaces, the hammers for forges and the machinery for boring, grinding and rolling iron.
Nearby Lincoln Hill was the source of limestone for the furnaces and the building industry. Although the hillside is now covered with trees you can still get a wonderful view of the Iron Bridge here.
Other attractions include the Jackfield Tile Museum, Broseley Pipeworks, Coalport China Museum, Tar Tunnel, Museum of Steel Sculpture, Quaker burial ground, Darby houses, Blists Hill Victorian town, and the hands-on science and technology centre Enginuity.
5 things to see
1. The Iron Bridge: World’s first cast-iron bridge – which has become one of the UK’s most popular tourist sites.
2. Museum of Iron: Learn more about the revolutionary techniques that made Coalbrookdale the most famous ironworks in the world.
3. Museum of the Gorge: Discover why the Ironbridge Gorge has been named a World Heritage Site.
4. Blists Hill Victorian Town: Experience life as it was more than 100 years ago through the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of a recreated Victorian town.
5. Enginuity: Visit this interactive science and technology centre, packed with hands-on activities.
» For more details see: www.ironbridge.org.uk