Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site |
| The Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site is a
very special place where history and nature have combined over many
years to produce a landscape and environment of great
beauty. | |
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Nature endowed the area with many of the raw materials of
industry - coal, limestone, wood, iron ore, clay and water. Combine
with that the genius and entrepreneurial skills of people like
Abraham Darby and John Wilkinson and it is no surprise that this
once rural area was transformed in the 18th century into
"the most important industrial area in the world". The Ironbridge
Gorge is now often referred to as the Birthplace of Industry
because it was here that in 1709 Darby perfected a technique for
manufacturing iron using coke which enabled, for the first time,
the mass production of high quality iron.
The iron works of Coalbrookdale and surrounding area gave the world
the first iron rails and iron wheels and in 1779, the famous Iron
Bridge, the world's first bridge constructed from iron and now an
internationally recognised symbol of the Industrial
Revolution.
Two hundred years ago, the Ironbridge Gorge would have been a
harsh, industrial environment, the air filled with the acrid smell
and relentless noise of industry. With the exception of the AGA
Rayburn Company, which still produces cast iron cookers and stoves
in the historic Coalbrookdale Works, heavy industry has long since
disappeared from the valley. Fortunately however, many of the
historic buildings, structures and monuments remain, standing
testimony to the area's illustrious
past. | |
|
Since the mines closed and the ironworks fell silent,
nature has re-established her presence and the woodlands that were
felled to provide wood for the furnaces and mines have regenerated
and the spoil tips and old workings have become green and
attractive. Today, the Ironbridge Gorge is a place of beauty,
attractive historic buildings set in a wooded valley landscape with
the River Severn flowing through on its way from the hills of Mid
Wales to the Bristol Channel.
The Iron Bridge
At the very heart of the World Heritage Site stands the famous
Iron Bridge built by Abraham Darby III and designed by Shrewsbury
architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard. The bridge was completed in
1781 and as the first bridge in the world to be built completely of
iron, it immediately became a visitor attraction. It attracted
artists, engineers, entrepreneurs and sightseers from across the
world, all of whom wanted to view this wonder of the industrial
age.
Two centuries later, the Bridge has withstood the test of time and
it continues to span the River Severn. The years have not reduced
interest in the Bridge and it continues to be a popular attraction
drawing visitors from near and far.
For further information on the following topics, please click
below:
What are World Heritage Sites?
Managing and Protecting the World Heritage Site
Visiting the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site
European Route of Industrial Heritage
LAWHF
Further
Information | |
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| Please note - Some documents published before
1st December 2006 may contain incorrect contact
numbers. |
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