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Iron bridge is a large village with a population of 4,000 in Telford and Wrekin Borough on the bank of the River Severn, at the heart of the Ironbridge Gorge, near Telford, Shropshire, England. It lies in the civil parish of the Gorge, approximately 50 km north-west of Birmingham.

The world’s first iron bridge was erected over the River Severn here in Shropshire in 1779. This pioneering structure marked a turning point in English design and engineering; after it was built, cast iron came to be widely used in the construction of bridges, aqueducts and buildings.

The industrial Revolution had its 18th century roots in the Iron bridge Gorge and spread worldwide leading to some of the most far reaching changes in human history.

The Iron Bridge’s story began in the early 18th century, in the nearby village of Coalbrookdale. Abraham Darby pioneered the smelting of iron using coke, a process that was a catalyst for the Industrial Revolution. It was Abraham Darby III who cast the ironwork for the bridge that still stands today, using the same techniques developed by his grandfather. The bridge was so successful that it gave its name to the spectacular wooded valley which surrounds it, now recognised as the Iron bridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

In 2017-18 English Heritage undertook a £3.6m conservation project on the Iron Bridge, to help safeguard the future of its historic ironwork. 

Some places to visit and things too see: 

Museum of The Gorge and The Iron Bridge Tollhouse. They’ll be open Mon-Sun, 10am-5pm.

Blists Hill Victorian Town will be open Sat & Sun, 10am-5pm.

At this stage the retail & visitor information spaces at Museum of The Gorge and The Iron Bridge Tollhouse will be open. The museum exhibitions will open in mid-May. At Blists Hill Victorian Town our outdoor spaces alongside front of house gift shop, Victorian market and our traditional shops will be open. Other buildings will reopen as Government restrictions allow.