First director of Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust to give insight into early days of Blists Hill
The first director of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust will be giving a public talk on the early days of the museum, as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations.
Sir Neil Cossons, who was the first director of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust from 1971 to 1983, will be giving people an insight into the creation and early days of the award-winning museum.
When Blists Hill Open Air Museum opened to the public on 1 April 1973 it was an immediate hit, representing a new kind of living museum on a grand scale.
In its first year the site welcomed 78,000 visitors, and since then more than 10 million people have visited.
The celebratory lecture is organised by the Friends of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum – an organisation set up in 1969 to support the conservation and development of sites across The Gorge.
Once the museum opened, the friends remained on hand, from manning a cabin at the museum’s entrance to running stalls, selling refreshments and hand-made crafts, and guiding visitors around the newly opened exhibits.
Today, there are some 600 friends, dedicated volunteers who have raised more than £1 million for the trust as well as volunteering their time for the museums.
Nick Ralls, chief executive officer of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “We are delighted to welcome back our founding director for this talk marking the 50th anniversary of Blists Hill Victorian Town.
"The museum’s opening was an extraordinary venture to capture and preserve Britain’s industrial heritage and a way of life that was disappearing with de-industrialisation and urban renewal.
"Now we have not one but ten museums, which have transformed the region’s tourism economy and bring to life the Ironbridge Gorge, a Unesco World Heritage Site, for visitors from around the world.”
The lecture will be held at Enginuity at the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron on Wednesday, July 19, starting at 7.30pm.
Sir Neil will talk about the foundation of Blists Hill, its early years and how this ambitious concept came to fruition.
Tickets are £5 per person, £3 for PASS PLUS holders and free for Friends of The Ironbridge Gorge Museum.
For more information about this and all events at Ironbridge Valley of Invention, visit www.ironbridge.org.uk
