Stamps celebrate iconic bridges – but county landmark misses out

A selection of bridges is used on the collection, but the father of them all is left out.

The decision has left people who are proud of Shropshire's link with the Industrial Revolution scratching their heads.

They include Roy Jukes, who has been collecting stamps since he was teenager, who said: "I am sad to hear that Abraham Darby's Iron Bridge will not be featured on these new stamps as it was the first of its kind to be built in the UK.

"I know it has been featured on stamps previously but I don't think the person who designed the stamps realises how important the Iron Bridge is. "

Mr Jukes, 68, from Telford, who runs the Classic-Stamps-Of-Ironbridge group, added:

"I have quite a few stamps that feature the Iron Bridge as I have been collecting stamps since I was a teenager, but it was be a shame that I am unable to add a new one to my collection."

Royal Mail today said the reason why it decided to not include the bridge in the new series of stamps is because it used it on another stamp in 2011. Spokeswoman Natasha Ayivor said: "With hundreds of bridges that are contenders to be depicted on stamps, we chose to look at other bridges for today's issue, as the Iron Bridge has been celebrated three times before.

"In 2011 Ironbridge was included in our very popular UK A-Z series of stamps, where in 26 stamps we explored the most iconic landmarks of the UK. Prior to that Ironbridge had been on a stamp in 2007 and before that also in 1989."

The 10 bridges that will feature include the Row Bridge in the Lake District, Thomas Telford's Craigellachie Bridge in Moray and Robert Stephenson's High Level Bridge in Newcastle. The oldest is the Tarr Steps,in Exmoor National Park, which is believed to date from the 15th or 16th century, while the Peace Bridge in Northern Ireland was completed in 2011. The Menai Suspension Bridge is described as one of the most breathtaking ever built.