IRONBRIDGE GORGE (COALBROOKDALE)

 Described as 10 museums, 1 beautiful valley, the Ironbridge Gorge is a mass of surprises. From the lovely Iron Bridge itself, to the intriguing Blists Hill Living Museum, you don't have to go far to discover something new and exciting.

The correct name of the gorge is Coalbrookdale and it is often tagged as the birthplace of industry. Indeed, you can still see the blast furnace where, in 1709, Abraham Darby perfected the process of smelting iron using coke.

Coalbrookdale must have been an amazing sight at night - with the black soot thick in the air, and the heat from the furnace flames. Several artists tried to capture it, but for me, the most evocative is 'Coalbrookdale By Night' as portrayed by Philippe Jacques de Loutherbourg in 1801

I loved Blists Hill. You can go in the Bank and exchange your modern currency for old pennies, and then spend them in some of the historic shops. I bought bread straight out of the oven at the baker's shop. It was hot, fresh and delicious just on its' own, with no butter or anything on it.
I also bought proper sugar mice, and starting at the head, as I used to do as a child, ended up walking around with the string 'tail' hanging out of the side of my mouth - only to literally bump into a gentleman with a bit of string hanging out of his mouth too!

Below is a view of the iron bridge painted by William Williams in 1780. How little the scene has changed!

The beautiful Ironbridge that gave its name to the area. There is just so much to see here, you need at least two days to do it justice. The ironwork was cast in Abraham Darby's nearby works, and the bridge was assembled using carpentry joints, as this new-fangled technique of bridge building was not fully understood yet!

It is not surprising that Coalbrookdale became Great Britain's very first UNESCO World Heritage Site. It really was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, and as such, completely changed the course of Human evolution