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Vestra Travel & British Country Tours
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OUR TRAVELS - WHERE WE'VE BEEN RECENTLY June 2006 The Ironbridge Gorge – A World Heritage Site – A Day well spent (c) 2006 Helena Aves Ph.D. June of 2006 found Chris and I spending a few days of well earned R&R in the Midlands of England. I was so impressed by the site and the history and the concepts of the Industrial Revolution, I put pen to paper to pass on the enthusiasm of my experience.
Knowing that the area was rather hilly, and that we did not want to walk up too many hills, we asked the friendly bus driver what would be the best order to see the major museums. He, of course pointed out that as the bus does a circular route around the area that we were free to hop on and off at our pleasure. Chris explained that we did need to get some exercise today, if nothing more to make room for a pint between museums! He suggested that we visit the Coalport Museum first.
[For the more hardy there is the ‘Footsteps through time’ - a 6 mile walk that can transport you back to the early 18th century along the River Severn, at the World Heritage site of the IronBridge Gorge. This swift flowing 200 foot wide river was the birth site of the Industrial Revolution. The great Victorian period that made England the most powerful nation on earth and upon which the sun never set.]
Let’s look a little at the location and history of the area. The power house of this 19th century Industrial Revolution is the “Iron” Valley, located five miles south of Telford in the Midlands of England, a few miles to the east of Shrewsbury. The serendipity of geological formations which juxtapose both limestone, iron ore and coal, all within a convenient and economical spatial area centered around Ironbridge was conveniently sliced open along the River Severn during last glacial age. The river, and man made canals formed a means of transportation for the jewel of the Valley, manufactured iron ore. The Industrial Revolution was sparked by the fortuitous discovery by Abraham Darby that smelting iron ore could be accomplished much less expensively with coke rather than the contemporary use of coal.
This critical discovery spurred the immense Industrial Revolution whose consequences would be soon felt not only in United Kingdom where a vast network of railroad lines would sprout, and massive engines and railroad cars would connect the Great Island from faraway John O’Groats to Land’s End. The effects of this Revolution would also touch widely distant lands such as Africa and India where the colonial expansion would soon riddle these countries with railroads as well. The social revolution which ensued allowed ordinary English folk in the countryside to travel beyond their birthplace and seek jobs in rapidly expanding centers as London, Birmingham and Manchester.
The upper classes grew massively wealthy on these burgeoning industries and created increasing labor opportunities for the previously agrarian society of the rural areas. The Iron Gorge became a microcosm of what was to lie for the future of the Industrial Revolution. With the explosion of industry the masses of laborers were exploited in poor living conditions, low wages and had to endure horrific health hazards of the mining and industrial machines. These social conditions became the causes for many intellectual and brave working men who created their antidote – the union, the protectors of the minions who did not have a voice. All of these social, economic, scientific and artistic forces had their vortex in this relatively compact area of the River Severn Valley near Telford during the late 18th century and early 19th century. The dynamic history is locked in this six mile walk and is expertly captured in the museums and ceramic art factories and preserved in Blists Hill the Victorian village which marvelously preserves the Victorian life of the times with bakeries, sweet shops, and horse and carts etc. Coalport China Museum We started our visit at the Coalport China Museum which contains the National Collections of Caughley and Coalport china housed in the magnificent old Coalport China works. The museum entry fee is £5.00, however the better deal, especially if you intend to make a day of it and visit the other museums, is to buy an annual pass for £12.50 a person.
The self guided tour takes you through the complete history of Coalport, from the raw materials to the finished china. The Rich colors, bright glazes and exquisite decoration are here for all to see. If you are a fan, or collector of fine bone china, as I am, then you will certainly not want to miss this fantastic museum. I was a
little concerned that Chris, my husband of 30 years, would start to wilt
If you are traveling with children, we noticed a special gallery, where kids find plenty to discover; dressing up, puzzles and a small soft play area. During the time English kids have their holidays, you can drop-in to the creative workshops, and have a go at a range of ceramic techniques. Decorate a mug or plate with your own designs or sculpt with clay.
On our walk from the Coalport Museum we took the picture above of the canal. Jackfield tile museum A large museum of British tile work from Pub room settings, to butcher shop murals to encaustic tiling that renovated cathedrals and churches throughout England during the Victorian era. Many of the tile murals used to decorate the London Underground were made here. We walked to Jackfield from Coalport along the River, and over the footbridge to the Museum. A very pleasant walk of less than a mile.
The Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron Leaving the Pub we followed the river for a short distance, then crossed using the ‘Free Bridge’, and then onto the Museum of Iron, a walk of a half mile at most.
Here iron was the order of the day, just look at the pioneering spirit and revolutionary thinking that made the Gorge the silicon valley of it time. The pioneering experiments undertaken by generations of the Darby family which opened the way for further key developments that made the Gorge the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. The Museum of Iron tells the story of iron smelting up to the Great Exhibition of 1851 where the Coalbrookdale company showed off its finest work. Today the museum houses a collection of particularly fine art casting as a legacy to the great skill and commitment of the Coalbrookdale Company. The Iron bridge and Toll House Museum
The Iron bridge is open to
all to cross and take pictures, and we certainly took the
The exploitation of cast
iron was paramount to those working and living in the Gorge area. In the 1750’s
there were six ferry crossings in the
Other Items of interest Blists Hill Victorian Town - Costumed staff give a warm welcome and a fascinating insight into how life was lived in Victorian times. Darby Houses - Experience the everyday life of Coalbrookdale's Quaker ironmasters in the former homes of the Darby family - Rosehill House and Dale House. Broseley Pipe Works - two miles from the Iron Bridge, was once home to one of the most prolific clay tobacco pipe making factories in Britain. Production came to an end in the 1950s when the works were abandoned and left untouched until reopened as a Museum in 1996. Tar Tunnel - A short walk from Coalport China Museum, alongside the Shropshire Canal, takes you to the Tar Tunnel. Over 200 years ago natural bitumen trickled like treacle into pools. It was turned into pitch, lamp black and rheumatics remedies.  Final Comments At first glance the subject matter may appear somewhat dry, but let me tell you, we had a very memorable day trip to the Iron Gorge site. We only managed to visit four of the museums. For the hardy souls you can continue exploration by visiting the other areas detailed above. You might not have time to take in all of the sites in one or possibly two days but you can have a pleasant day seeing and experiencing a great deal by walking along the river route and stopping at the museums that interest you, have lunch and a pint of beer at one of the many pubs along the way. The walk is not strenuous but you can always hop on the Special bus that continuously runs between each of the museums along the route if you need a break. The ticket you purchase is good for one year so you can come back another day. Even if you spend an afternoon at the site you will find it memorable as well as enlightening. Getting There To get to the World Heritage Site you can drive there directly. The Ironbridge Gorge is on the River Severn, 5 miles (8km) south of Telford town center in Shropshire. Take junction 4 or junction 6 off the M54. Follow brown and white signs to the Ironbridge Gorge. By train to Telford Central from Birmingham or Shrewsbury. From the train station take the 55 Bus to the Main shopping Mall (also a bus station) about a mile and half from the train station. Then take the Special bus that will circle the site all day. These busses leave every 20 minutes. Contact Information Dr. Aves is the President of Vestra Travel, a full service travel agency, located in Raleigh, North Carolina. With husband Chris they run the Travel Agency and British Country Tours, a company specializing in small group exclusive tours to the British Isles. Helena holds a Bachelors degree from Rutgers, and Masters and Doctoral degrees from Columbia University, New York City. Please forward your questions comments and observations to: (919) 424-0642 CLOSE WINDOW TO RETURN
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Having
taken in these two museums we walked down the west side of the River Severn
towards the ‘new free bridge’. Here we found a really nice Pub, the Black Swan
that had this wonderful garden that overlooked the river. As it was a fine day
we chose to sit outside for lunch and enjoy the sound of the rushing river.
opportunity. Truly amazing that such an iron bridge was erected well over 200
years ago. Let me set the scene by explaining briefly why the bridge was
erected. By the way the 'old' guy in the photo opposite is Chris.
Gorge
which transported both people and materials from one side of the river to the
other. These ferry crossings were many times at the mercy of the river Severn,
which in summer was sometimes to low, and too high and fast in the winter to
successfully operate the ferries. A bridge was a natural consequence, and it was
Abraham Darby III who seized upon the opportunity. The toll house has now become
a museum and houses a wonderful account of the bridges history, from design to
completion, well worth a visit. That's me at the top of the bridge.