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Ironbridge |
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At first glance, ever-pleasing
Ironbridge looks like a typical Shropshire town
with its interesting mix of old and new. But
beneath this facade lies a momentous past. This is
where the Industrial Revolution went into
overdrive, a fact celebrated in a series of
brilliant museums which take an in-depth look at
the enterprise of some of Britain’s great
innovators. Spanning the steep Ironbridge Gorge
high over the River Severn is the world’s first
cold-cast iron bridge (now a World Heritage Site)
weighing a massive 386 tons and cast by the
brilliant Abraham Darby lll at his foundry at
Coalbrookdale.
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Iron Bridge (Photo
Shropshire Tourism) |
His grandfather had found the
secret of smelting iron from ordinary coal,
turning this otherwise sleepy town into the cradle
of heavy industry. Modern enterprise has gone into
the creation of the Enginuity Museum, the Museum
of Iron and the Museum of the Gorge (which has a
model of the town as it was in 1796). Step back in
time at Blists Hill Open Air Museum and
experience the atmosphere and way of life of a
working Victorian community.
There is also a tunnel of natural bitumen,
the tar tunnel, exposed in the late 18th
century, as well as the Coalport China Museum
which holds the National Collections of Coalport
and Choughley china.
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Further information:
Ironbridge Hotels, Guest Houses, Bed and Breakfast
accommodation
Ironbridge Self catering holiday cottages, cabins, lodges,
mobile homes parks
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