Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron reopens
After six months of closure, the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron was reopened today.
Visitors saw a new entrance area, as well as areas where they can learn about some of the most important breakthroughs of the industrial revolution.
From researching hundreds of thousands of years of geological history in the area to seeing Coalbrookdale-made fire guards, whaling bowls and anchors – the museum tries to place Ironbridge and its surrounding areas in the context of how the world has changed in the last 300 years.
Gillian Crumpton, curator of the exhibition: “Buildings, wars, transport and trade are all shaped by the innovations of 1709 and the world that iron built. This new museum tells that story, setting the amazing industrial innovations that began here, in their historical context.”
The re-opening of the Museum of Iron marks the first of the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
The rest of the year will see a number of lectures, including a talk on the use of engineering in espionage by former GCHQ director Sir David Pepper on June 15.
A Steam Road Run on May 13 will see 30 steam engines travel throughout the World Heritage Site, with many of them then going on display at Blists Hill the following day. Ironbridge’s first ever Steampunk gathering is set to take place on July 1 and 2 at Blists Hill, offering a technology-influenced take on the Victorian style.
