Shropshire museum to host free archaeology festival - with chances to get digging

On Saturday, July 27, Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron is joining museums and heritage organisations around the country and taking part in the national Festival of Archaeology.

The Museum of Iron, run by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, will be free for all visitors for the entire day, thanks to sponsorship from the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA).

Fourteen local historical and archaeological societies and groups, including the Friends of Ironbridge Gorge Museums, National Trust Archaeology, the Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust and Shropshire Caving and Mining Club, will be in the museum talking to the public about their work and inspiring future generations of archaeologists.

The Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA) will host a mini archaeological dig where visitors will be able to sift through spoils left over from recent work at Broseley Pipeworks, funded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, to level out the floor.

While practising their archaeological skills they might find parts of pipes, other clay items or pieces of bone.

The museum will also host a series of free one-hour walks and tours around Coalbrookdale and the local area. They will include a tour of some of the trust’s collections with collections curator Kate Cadman, an opportunity to see selected items from the library and archive collections with archivist Sarah Roberts, and a guided walk around the gardens of the Darby Houses and the Quaker Burial Ground with head of interpretation Lauren Collier.

Nick Booth, collections & learning director at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “We are delighted to be taking part for the second time in the Council for British Archaeology’s Festival of Archaeology. Coalbrookdale is rich in history and archaeological finds and the local groups who will be joining us have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. Our guided visits led by the trust’s curatorial and interpretation teams will also give local people a flavour of our work behind the scenes.”

In the permanent display on the ground floor of the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron visitors can find a range of bronze age and Roman iron objects excavated by archaeologists around Shropshire. They can learn about the geology of Shropshire and see samples from the collection of local tile manufacturer and amateur geologist George Maw.

In addition visitors will also be able to visit this year’s free temporary exhibition ‘From Stars to Calls: The Life Of Iron’ which displays archaeological finds from the local Iron Age, on loan from Shropshire Museums, as well as the earliest known manmade iron object, a bead made from meteorite iron found in the grave of a child buried c.5,000 years ago in Ancient Egypt, on loan from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology at University College London.

This event is sponsored by the Association for Industrial Archaeology and is part of the UK-wide Festival of Archaeology (until July 28) organised by the Council for British Archaeology, which in 2024 celebrates its 80th anniversary.

More information about this free event can be found at ironbridge.org.uk/events/family-events/festival-of-archaeology.