Orientation to Ironbridge Gorge
Getting Around Ironbridge Gorge
The Industrial Revolution was born in the Severn River Valley. In its glory days, this valley (blessed with abundant deposits of iron ore and coal, and a river for transport) gave the world its first iron wheels, steam-powered locomotive, and cast-iron bridge (begun in 1779). The museums in Ironbridge Gorge, which capture the flavor of the Victorian Age, take you back into the days when Britain was racing into the modern era, and pulling the rest of the West with her.
Near the end of the 20th century, the valley went through a second transformation: Photos taken just 30 years ago show an industrial wasteland. Today the Severn River Valley is lush and lined with walks and parkland. Even its bricks, while still smoke-stained, seem warmer and more inviting.
Without a car, Ironbridge Gorge isn’t worth the headache. Drivers can slip it in between the Cotswolds/Stratford/Warwick and points north (such as the Lake District or North Wales). Speed demons zip in for a midday tour of the Blists Hill Victorian Town, look at the famous Iron Bridge and quaint Industrial Age town that sprawls around it, and head out. For an overnight visit, arrive in the early evening to browse the town, see the bridge, and walk along the river. Spend the morning touring the Blists Hill Victorian Town, have lunch there, and head to your next destination.
With more time—say, a full month in Britain—I’d spend two nights and a leisurely day: 9:30-Iron Bridge and the town; 10:30-Museum of the Gorge; 11:30-Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron; 14:30-Blists Hill Victorian Town; then dinner at the recommended Golden Ball Inn.
The town is just a few blocks gathered around the Iron Bridge, which spans the peaceful, tree-lined Severn River. While the smoke-belching bustle is long gone, knowing that this wooded, sleepy river valley was the “Silicon Valley” of the 19th century makes wandering its brick streets almost a pilgrimage. The actual museum sites are scattered over three miles. The modern cooling towers (for coal, not nuclear energy) that loom ominously over these red-brick remnants seem strangely appropriate.
The TI is in the Museum of the Gorge, just west of the town center. It has lots of booklets for sale, including pamphlets describing nearby walks (Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00, tel. 01952/433-424, www.ironbridge.org.uk).
By Bus: Gorge Connect buses link the various museums, running every 30 minutes on weekends and Bank Holidays from Easter through October—and every day on some weeks in the summer (£1.20-1.70/ride, £3.40 day ticket, free with Passport Ticket—described on here; runs 9:30-18:00, no buses Nov-Easter; see schedule at www.ironbridge.org.uk—click on “Plan Your Visit,” then “Travel Advice,” then “Using Public Transport”; tel. 01952/200-005).
If you’re waiting for the Gorge Connect bus on the main road by the bridge, or at a stop for one of the less-popular museums, make sure the driver sees you or the bus may not stop. For connections from the Telford train or bus stations to the sights, see the end of this chapter.
Buses #77 and #88, operated by Arriva, connect the Museum of Iron (stop: Coalbrookdale School Road) and the TI in Iron Bridge, but they run infrequently (combined, roughly 1/hour). Bus #77 may be able to drop you off at Blists Hill Victorian Town by request (ask the driver, www.arrivabus.co.uk).
By Car: Routes to the attractions are well-signed, so driving should be a snap (museum parking information described later).
By Taxi: Taxis will pick up at the museums, making this a good option if you don’t have a car and the bus is not convenient. Call Central Taxis at tel. 01952/501-050.
By Bike: An eight-mile, relatively flat, circular bike path connects all of the museums except the Broseley Pipeworks. You can rent a bike from The Bicycle Hub, located next to the Jackfield Tile Museum, about a mile from the bridge (£15/day, tandem-£40/day, helmet-£1, lock-£1; Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, closed Sun; smart to book ahead, especially in nice weather—£25 refundable booking fee; international travelers must leave passport; tel. 01952/883-249, www.thebicyclehub.co.uk).
▲Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and Abraham Darby’s Furnace
Coalport China Museum, Jackfield Tile Museum, and Broseley Pipeworks
Ironbridge Open-Air Museum of Steel Sculpture
Royal Air Force (RAF) Museum Cosford
While England was at war with her American colonies, this first cast-iron bridge was built in 1779 to show off a wonderful new building material. Lacking experience with cast iron, the builders erred on the side of sturdiness and constructed it as if it were made out of wood. Notice that the original construction used traditional timber-jointing techniques rather than rivets. (Any rivets are from later repairs.) The valley’s centerpiece is free, open all the time, and thought-provoking. Walk across the bridge to the tollhouse. Inside, read the fee schedule and notice the subtle slam against royalty. (England was not immune to the revolutionary sentiment brewing in the colonies at this time.) Pedestrians paid half a penny to cross; poor people crossed cheaper by coracle—a crude tub-like wood-and-canvas shuttle ferry. Cross back to the town and enjoy a pleasant walk downstream along the towpath. Where horses once dragged boats laden with Industrial Age cargo, locals now walk their dogs.
Ten museums located within a few miles of each other focus on the Iron Bridge and all that it represents. Not all the sights are worth your time. The Blists Hill Victorian Town is by far the best. The Museum of the Gorge attempts to give a historic overview, but the displays are humble—its most interesting feature is the 12-minute video. The Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron tells the story of iron—interesting to metalheads. Enginuity is just for kids. And the original Abraham Darby Furnace (free to view, located across from the Museum of Iron), is a shrine to 18th-century technology. Before visiting any of these places, it helps to see the introductory movie at the Museum of the Gorge, to put everything into context.
Cost: This group of widely scattered sights has varied admission charges (most sights £3-9; Blists Hill is £15.45); the £23.25 Passport Ticket (families-£64) covers admission to all of them and the Gorge Connect bus. If you’re visiting the area’s top three sights—Blists Hill Victorian Town, the Museum of the Gorge, and the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron—you’ll save about £4 with the Passport Ticket.
Hours: Unless otherwise noted, the sights share the same opening hours and contact info: daily 10:00-17:00, tel. 01952/433-424, www.ironbridge.org.uk.
Parking: To see the most significant sights by car, you’ll park three times: once in town (either in the pay-and-display lot just over the bridge or at the Museum of the Gorge—the Iron Bridge and Gorge Museum are connected by an easy, flat walk); once at the Blists Hill parking lot; and once outside of the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron (Enginuity is across the lot, and the Darby Houses are a three-minute uphill hike away). While you’ll pay separately to park at the Museum of the Gorge, a single ticket is good for both pay-and-display lots at the Coalbrookdale Museum and Blists Hill.
Orient yourself to the valley here in the Old Severn Warehouse. The 12-minute introductory movie (on a continuous loop) lays the groundwork for what you’ll see in the other museums. Check out the exhibit and the model of the gorge in its heyday. Farther upstream from the museum parking lot is the fine riverside Dale End Park, with picnic areas and a playground.
Cost: £4, 500 yards upstream from the bridge, parking-£1.30 (3-hour maximum).
Save most of your time and energy for this wonderful town—an immersive, open-air folk museum. You’ll wander through 50 acres of Victorian industry, factories, and a re-created community from the 1890s. Pick up the Blists Hill guidebook for a good step-by-step rundown.
Cost and Hours: £15.45, closes at 16:00 Nov-March.
Visiting Blists Hill: The map you’re given when entering is very important—it shows which stops in the big park are staffed with lively docents in Victorian dress. Pop in to say hello to the banker, the lady in the post office, the blacksmith, and the girl in the candy shop. Maybe the boys are singing in the pub. It’s fine to take photos. Asking questions and chatting with the villagers is encouraged. What’s a shilling? How was the pay? What about health care in the 1800s?
Stop by the pharmacy and check out the squirm-inducing setup of the dentist’s chair—it’ll make you appreciate the marvel of modern dental care. Check the hands-on activities in the barn across the way. Down the street, kids like watching a costumed candle-maker at work, as he explains the process and tells how candles were used back in the day.
Just as it would’ve had in Victorian days, the village has a working pub, a greengrocer’s shop, a fascinating squatter’s cottage, and a snorty, slippery pigsty. Don’t miss the explanation of the “winding engine” at the Blists Hill Mine (demos throughout the day).
At the back of the park, you can hop aboard a train and enter a clay mine, complete with a sound and light show illustrating the dangers of working in this type of environment (£2, 10 minutes). Nearby, the Hay Inclined Plane was used to haul loaded tub boats between the river and the upper canal. Today, a passenger-operated lift hauls visitors instead (just press the button to call for it). At the top, you can walk along the canal back to the town.
Eating in Blists Hill: Several places serve lunch: a café near the entrance, the New Inn Pub for beer and pub snacks, a traditional fish-and-chips joint, and the cafeteria near the children’s old-time rides.
The Coalbrookdale neighborhood is the birthplace of modern technology—the place where locals like to claim that mass production was invented. The museum and furnace are located on either side of a parking lot.
Cost: Museum—£8, £9 combo-ticket includes the Darby Houses—listed later; furnace—free, volunteer tour guides sometimes lead free guided walks to the furnace (ask at museum info desk for times).
Museum: While old-school, this museum does a fine job of explaining the original iron-smelting process and how iron (which makes up 95 percent of all industrial metal) changed our world. But compared to the fun and frolicking Blists Hill village, this museum is sleepy. There’s a café inside the museum.
Abraham Darby Furnace: Across from the museum, standing like a shrine to the Industrial Revolution, is Darby’s blast furnace, sitting inside a big glass pyramid and surrounded by evocative Industrial Age ruins (info sheets on the furnace available at museum). It was here that, in 1709, Darby first smelted iron, using coke as fuel. To me, “coke” is a drink, and “smelt” is the past tense of smell...but around here, these words recall the event that kicked off the modern Industrial Age.
All the ingredients of the recipe for big industry were here in abundance—iron ore, top-grade coal, and water for power and shipping. Wander around Abraham Darby’s furnace. Before this furnace was built, iron ore was laboriously melted by charcoal. With huge waterwheel-powered bellows, Darby burned top-grade coal at super-hot temperatures (burning off the impurities to make “coke”). Local iron ore was dumped into the furnace and melted. Impurities floated to the top, while the pure iron sank to the bottom of a clay tub in the bottom of the furnace. Twice a day, the plugs were knocked off, allowing the “slag” to drain away on the top and the molten iron to drain out on the bottom. The low-grade slag was used locally on walls and paths. The high-grade iron trickled into molds formed in the sand below the furnace. It cooled into pig iron (named because the molds look like piglets suckling their mother). The pig-iron “planks” were broken off by sledgehammers and shipped away. The Severn River became one of Europe’s busiest, shipping pig iron to distant foundries, where it was melted again and made into cast iron (for projects such as the Iron Bridge), or to forges, where it was worked like toffee into wrought iron.
Enginuity is a hands-on funfest for kids. Riffing on Ironbridge’s engineering roots, this converted 1709 foundry is full of entertaining-to-kids water contraptions, pumps, magnets, and laser games. Build a dam, try your hand at earthquake-proof construction, navigate a water maze, operate a remote-controlled robot, or power a turbine with your own steam.
Cost: £8.25, across the parking lot from the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron.
The Darby family, Quakers who were the area’s richest residents by far, lived in these two homes located just above the Coalbrookdale Museum.
The 18th-century Darby mansion, Rosehill House, features a collection of fine china, furniture, and trinkets from various family members. It’s decorated in the way the family home would have been in 1850. If the gilt-framed mirrors and fancy china seem a little ostentatious for the normally wealth-shunning Quakers, keep in mind that these folks were rich beyond reason, and—as docents will assure you—considering their vast wealth, this was relatively modest.
Skip the adjacent Dale House. Dating from the 1780s, it’s older than Rosehill, but almost completely devoid of interior furniture, and its exhibits are rarely open.
Cost and Hours: £5, £9 combo-ticket includes Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, closed Nov-March for lack of light.
Housed in their original factories, these showcase the region’s porcelain, decorated tiles, and clay tobacco pipes. These industries were developed to pick up the slack when the iron industry shifted away from the Severn Valley in the 1850s. Each museum features finely decorated pieces, and the china and tile museums offer low-energy workshops.
Cost and Hours: £5-8 each; Broseley Pipeworks open afternoons only late spring through summer (mid-May-mid-Sept 13:00-17:00, closed mid-Sept-mid-May).
Ironbridge Open-Air Museum of Steel Sculpture—This park is a striking tribute to the region’s industrial heritage. Stroll the 10-acre grounds and spot works by Roy Kitchin and other sculptors stashed in the forest and perched in rolling grasslands.
Cost and Hours: £3, March-Nov Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, closed Mon except bank holidays, closed Dec-Feb, free parking, 2 miles from Iron Bridge, Moss House, Cherry Tree Hill, Coalbrookdale, Telford, tel. 01952/433-152, http://steelsculpture.go2.co.uk.
Skiing and Swimming—There’s a small, brush-covered ski and snowboarding slope with two Poma lifts at Telford Snowboard and Ski Centre in Madeley, two miles from Ironbridge Gorge; you’ll see signs for it as you drive into Ironbridge Gorge (£12.50/hour including gear, less for kids, open practice times vary by day—schedule posted online, tel. 01952/382-688, www.telford.gov.uk/skicentre). A public swimming pool is in Madeley (5-minute drive from town on Ironbridge Road, Abraham Darby Sports Centre, tel. 01952/382-770).
Royal Air Force (RAF) Museum Cosford—This Red Baron magnet displays more than 80 aircraft, from warplanes to rockets. Get the background on ejection seats and a primer on the principles of propulsion.
Cost and Hours: Free, parking-£2/3 hours, daily March-Oct 10:00-18:00, Nov-Feb 10:00-17:00, last entry one hour before closing, Shifnal, Shropshire, on the A-41 near junction with the M-54, tel. 01902/376-200, www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford.
More Sights—If you’re looking for reasons to linger in Ironbridge Gorge, these sights are all within a short drive: the medieval town of Shrewsbury, the abbey village of Much Wenlock, the scenic Long Mynd gorge at Church Stretton, the castle at Ludlow, and the steam railway at the river town of Bridgnorth. Shoppers like Chester (en route to points north).
$$$ Library House Guest House is Better Homes and Gardens-elegant. Located in the town center, a half-block downhill from the bridge, it’s a classy, friendly gem that actually used to be the village library. Each of its four rooms is a delight. The Chaucer Room, which includes a small garden, is the smallest and least expensive. Lizzie Steel offers a complimentary drink upon arrival (small Db-£80, larger Db-£90, twin Db-£100, take £10 off these prices for Sb, DVD library, free Wi-Fi, free parking just up the road, 11 Severn Bank, Ironbridge Gorge, tel. 01952/432-299, www.libraryhouse.com, info@libraryhouse.com). Lizzie may be able to pick you up from the Telford train station if you request it in advance.
$$ Tontine Hotel is the town’s big, 12-room, musty, Industrial Age hotel. Check out the historic photos in the bar (S-£30, Sb-£45, D-£46, Db-£62, Tb-£70, Qb-£80, if booking in advance ask about discount with this book, restaurant, The Square, tel. 01952/432-127, fax 01952/432-094, www.tontine-hotel.com, tontinehotel@tiscali.co.uk).
$$$ Calcutts House rents seven rooms in their 18th-century ironmaster’s home and adjacent coach house. Rooms in the main house are elegant, while the coach-house rooms are bright, modern, and less expensive. Their inviting garden is a plus. Ask the owners, James and Sarah Pittam, how the rooms were named (Db-£55-90, price depends on room size, free Wi-Fi, Calcutts Road, tel. 01952/882-631, www.calcuttshouse.co.uk, info@calcuttshouse.co.uk). From Calcutts House, it’s a delightful 15-minute stroll down a former train track into town.
$ Coalport Youth Hostel, plush for a hostel, fills an old factory at the China Museum in Coalport (£18-22 bunks in mostly 4-bed dorms, bunk-bed Db-£34-48, £3 less for members, includes sheets, reception open 7:30-23:00, no lockout, kitchen, self-service laundry, High Street, tel. 01952/588-755, www.yha.org.uk, ironbridge@yha.org.uk). Don’t confuse this hostel with another area hostel, Coalbrookdale, which is only available for groups.
$ Wilderhope Manor Youth Hostel, a beautifully remote Elizabethan manor house from 1586, is one of Europe’s best hostels—and recently refurbished (it even has a bridal suite). On Wednesday and Sunday afternoons, tourists actually pay to see what hostelers get to sleep in (£17-23 bunks, under 18-£14-19, £3 less for members, single-sex dorms, family rooms available, reservations recommended, reception closed 12:00-15:00, restaurant open 18:00-20:30, laundry, kitchen, tel. 01694/771-363, www.yha.org.uk, wilderhope@yha.org.uk). It’s in Longville-in-the-Dale, six miles from Much Wenlock down the B-4371 toward Church Stretton.
(See “Ironbridge Gorge” map, here)
Restaurant Severn is the local favorite for a place with style that serves contemporary dishes. Choose from a £24-27 two-course fixed-price meal or a £26-29 three-course offering (evenings Wed-Sat, lunch only on Sun, closed Mon-Tue, across from the Iron Bridge in the town center, reservations smart—especially on weekends, 33 High Street, tel. 01952/432-233).
Pondicherry, in a renovated former police station, serves delicious Indian curries and a few British dishes to keep the less adventurous happy. The mixed vegetarian sampler is popular even with meat-eaters. The basement holding cells are now little plush lounges—a great option if you’d like your pre-dinner drink “in prison” (£12-16 plates, Mon-Sat 17:00-23:00, Sun 17:00-22:30, starts to get hopping after 19:00, 57 Waterloo Street, tel. 01952/433-055).
Da Vinci’s serves good, though pricey, Italian food and has a dressy ambience (£15-20 main courses, Tue-Sat 19:00-22:00, closed Sun-Mon, 26 High Street, tel. 01952/432-250).
The Golden Ball Inn, a brewery back in the 18th century, is a popular pub known for its quality food and great atmosphere. Check out chef/owner Kevin Price’s creative dishes listed on the big blackboard. You can dine with the friendly local crowd in the “bar,” eat in back with the brewing gear in the more quiet—and formal—dining room, or munch on the lush garden patio. Kevin is serious about his beer, listing featured ales daily (£10-15 meals, food served Mon-Fri 12:00-14:30 & 18:00-21:00, Sat 12:00-21:00, Sun 12:00-19:45, reservations smart on weekends, 8-minute hike up Madeley Road from the town roundabout, 1 Newbridge Road, tel. 01952/432-179).
The Coalbrookdale Inn is filled with locals enjoying excellent ales and good food. This former “best pub in Britain” has a tradition of offering free samples from a lineup of featured beers. Ask which real ales are available (Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00, Thu 12:00-23:30, Fri-Sat 12:00-24:00; pub grub available all day but revamped restaurant may open for lunch only, lively ladies’ loo, across street from Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, 1 mile from Ironbridge Gorge, 12 Wellington Road, tel. 01952/432-166).
The Malt House, located in an 18th-century beer house, is a very popular scene with local twentysomethings (£9-20 main courses, bar menu at their Rock Bar, food served daily 12:00-22:00, near Museum of the Gorge, 5-minute walk from center, The Wharfage, tel. 01952/433-712). For nighttime action, The Malt House is the vibrant spot in town, with live rock music and a fun crowd (generally Thu-Sat).
Ironbridge Gorge is five miles southwest of Telford, which has the nearest train station.
Getting between Telford and Ironbridge Gorge: To go by bus from Telford’s train station to the center of Ironbridge Gorge, you’ll first have to zip over to the Telford bus station—any northbound bus that stops at the train station will take you there (every 5-10 minutes; some buses drive by without stopping—don’t be alarmed—just wait for one that stops). From the Telford bus station, take bus #77, #88, or #99 into Ironbridge Gorge (roughly 1/hour, usually at :45 or :50 after the hour, 30 minutes, none on Sun). The Telford bus station is attached to a large modern mall, making it an easy place to wait—ask at the info office when the next bus is leaving and from which door. The bus drops you off in Ironbridge Gorge at the TI or the bridge—tell the driver which stop you want (pay per leg or buy £4 “Day Saver” pass—only cost-effective if you take the bus at least three times). Buses are run by Arriva (www.arrivabus.co.uk), but you can also call Traveline for departure times and other information (tel. 0871-200-2233, www.traveline.org.uk).
If the Gorge Connect bus is running (generally April-Oct on weekends and Bank Holidays, plus some weeks in summer; see here) you can take bus #44 (2-4/hour) direct from the Telford train station to High Street in the town of Madeley. This is where the Gorge Connect bus originates and ends. Hop on it to ride to one of the museums, the TI, or the bridge.
A taxi from Telford train station to Ironbridge Gorge costs about £10.
By Train from Telford to: Birmingham (2/hour, 1.25 hours, change in Wolverhampton), Stratford-upon-Avon (roughly hourly, 2.5 hours, 1-2 changes), Moreton-in-Marsh (hourly, 3 hours, 2 transfers), Conwy in North Wales (9/day, 2.5 hours, some change in Chester or Shrewsbury), Blackpool (hourly, 2.25 hours, 2 changes), Keswick/Lake District (hourly, 4 hours total; 3 hours to Penrith with 1-2 changes, then catch a bus to Keswick—see here), Edinburgh (every 1-2 hours, 4-5 hours, 1-2 changes). Train info: Tel. 0845-748-4950, www.nationalrail.co.uk.
From the South to Ironbridge Gorge: From the Cotswolds and Stratford, take the M-40 to Birmingham, then the M-6 (direction northwest) through Birmingham. Be aware that traffic northbound through Birmingham is miserable from 14:00 to 20:00, especially on Fridays. Take one of two M-6 options: free with traffic through the city center; or the M-6 Toll, which, for around £5, skirts you north of the center with nearly no traffic—a very good bet during rush hour.
After Birmingham, follow signs to Telford via the M-54 (if on toll road, it’ll be via the A-5). Leave the M-54 at the Telford/Ironbridge exit (Junction 4). Follow the brown Ironbridge signs through several roundabouts to Ironbridge Gorge. (Note: On maps, Ironbridge Gorge is often referred to as “Iron Bridge” or “Iron-Bridge.”)
From Ironbridge Gorge to North Wales: The drive is fairly easy, with clear signs and good roads all the way. From Ironbridge Gorge, follow signs to the M-54. Get on the M-54 in the direction of Telford, and then Shrewsbury, as the M-54 becomes the A-5; then follow signs to North Wales. In Wales, the A-483 (direction Wrexham, then Chester) takes you to the A-55, which leads to Conwy.