Why Ironbridge?
Spectacular and beautiful, Ironbridge Gorge offers a unique chance to step back in time to an age when the pounding of steam hammers and the clatter of horse hooves was commonplace.
As you walk through the Gorge you are constantly reminded of the role that this area played at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Footprints of the past are everywhere. Sleeping furnaces and abandoned railway tracks are now mellowed by nature. In the Dale amongst the bird song, you can hear the constant gushing of water, not from a natural brook or waterfall but from the complex series of man-made watercourses that turned the enormous waterwheels and powered the foundries.
Today 10 amazing museums pay tribute to the proud history of the area, whilst a new breed of creative arts and industries have evolved within Gorge all adding to this unique offering available to visitors to Ironbridge & Shropshire of all ages.
There are ten award-winning Museums spread along the valley beside the wild River Severn - still spanned by the world's first cast Iron Bridge. See the products that set industry on its path and the machines that made them.
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In 1986, the Ironbridge Gorge became one of the first group of 7 UK sites to be awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO. The designation of the Ironbridge Gorge as a World Heritage Site recognised the area’s unique contribution to the birth of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, the impact of which was felt across the world.
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For centuries the beautiful Ironbridge Gorge has been an inspiring destination for creativity and in particular the flourishing tile and ceramics industries. Today, as a World Heritage Site, the tradition of creative skills lives on as many crafts people and artists have once again chosen to work here.
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