Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust awarded £1 million to preserve key monuments
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust was today celebrating a £1 million windfall that will help ensure its key monuments stay protected for decades to come.
The trust said that securing the money from the National Lottery's Heritage Lottery Fund will ensure the future of some of its most historically significant buildings.
The funds will be used to build an endowment that will preserve and protect areas within Coalbrookdale, including the Old Furnace used by Abraham Derby to first smelt iron from coke, kickstarting the Industrial Revolution.
The Lottery money is being released as part of a match funding scheme with the museums trust.
Museums chief executive Anna Brennand said: “We are delighted that the trust has secured this significant grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and we are very grateful to National Lottery players for making it possible.
“The trust has an excellent track record in securing funding for major capital development programmes, but it is also important that we develop a £15 million fund for the future, which will help ensure that our internationally significant heritage assets are secure for future generations. This lead donation from HLF is a real boost in driving forward our appeal.
“Our team’s hard work starts now, as we have four years to raise an additional £1 million as match funding. Securing the first £1 million has created a real opportunity for us to further develop our fundraising skills across the organisation and it will greatly help cultivate our relationship with existing supporters and open doors to new ones.”
The endowment will create an annual income that will allow preventative maintenance and repairs and specialist conservation advice and work.
Other nearby buildings that will benefit from the grant includes the Quaker Burial Ground, Arboretum, Darby Houses and Coalbrookdale Company’s Warehouses.
As well as making sure these sites are protected for future generations, the money from the endowment will create better access for the public and improve the interpretation of the sites, so that people gain a better understanding of their significance in world history.
Ms Brennand said: "“This grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund will be used exclusively for the conservation of Coalbrookdale’s industrial landscape.
"It could not have come at a better time, as this year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Trust and this grant will help ensure the Museum continues to thrive for the next 50 years and beyond.”
The successful grant was announced at Enginuity in Coalbrookdale during a lunch celebrating the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
In April 2017, the trust launched its new Coalbrookdale Masterplan, along with its associated fundraising campaign, which will see a number of projects undertaken through the Gorge over the next 10 years.
The first phase will be the creation of a new destination café, with work starting in autumn 2017.
Future phases, once funding has been secured, will be the refurbishment of Enginuity, the National Design and Technology Centre along with the creation of a new Collections Store, as well as further works to the Old Furnace and associated buildings.
