Ironbridge Tourist Information and Accommodation

The Iron Bridge, Shropshire

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Spectacular, beautiful Ironbridge

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The Iron bridge

Tour de Force?

"The earliest bridge of cold blast iron designed by Abraham Darby in 1778. The charm as well as the admirable boldness of the bridge is indeed its light and lacy thinness." Pevsner

It was at Ironbridge, Shropshire that first large scale production of cast iron was developed using a process pioneered by Abraham Darby. Items made in Ironbridge were shipped all over the world.

Here in 1779 the worlds first cast iron bridge was built spanning the River Severn - beautifully constructed, totally innovative - today the Ironbridge stands as a permanent reminder of our industrial past.

Ironbridge is regarded as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site - sitting alongside The Taj Mahal, The Pyramids and The Grand Canyon - pretty important sites.

The nine Ironbridge Gorge Museums tell this momentous story and offer a chance to step back to a time when the pounding of steam hammers and clatter of horses hooves on cobbles were commonplace.

Get a "Passport Ticket" and you will get twelve months unlimited day time admission to all 10 museums. Then at any time after the first twelve months you can return once to visit any museums that you missed.

The Tollhouse and Ironbridge - the original Ironbridge.

The Museum of the Gorge - good place to start.

Museum of Iron - with the original furnace that started it all.

Blist's Hill - experience the atmosphere of a Victorian working town.

Coalport China Museum - dazzling displays of two centuries of china.

Darby Houses - where Abraham Darby III finalised plans for the Ironbridge.

Jackfield Tile Museum - former world centre of the decorative tile industry.

Broseley Pipeworks - preserved time capsule of clay pipe making.

Enginuity - The new museum, awarded the 2003 Good Britain Guide 'Family Attraction of the year'. A real hands-on experience.

You can also visit The Maws Craft Centre, the Open Air Museum of Steel Sculpture, A Victorian Police Station and Old Court House. There are leisure boat trips on the River, walks and cycle ways and you can even turn your hand to making a Coracle with the Green Wood Trust.

Plentiful supplies of clay and good transport led to factories making decorative tiles, bricks and the finest china. Although Merrythought Teddybears are made in Ironbridge, today it is much quieter - little shops, charming pubs and inns have built up around the Ironbridge and along the banks of the Severn.

For More information about Ironbridge contact Ironbridge Gorge Tourist Information Centre.

If you would like to visit Ironbridge and need accommodation and are interested in finding the best hotel, guest house, bed and breakfast or self catering property, please click here.

Please click on the link to view a street map of Ironbridge

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