Shropshire's industrial icon will inspire generations to come

Vital repairs are being made to Shropshire's Iron Bridge by English Heritage and the conservation work is expected to run until November next year.

Work will take place on the iron radials and braces holding the bridge together, the deck plates and wedges, as well as the main iron arch itself. The bridge will also be repainted to protect it for the future.

Morgan Cowles, head of conservation and maintenance for English Heritage, said: "This is our largest conservation project since we became an independent charity in April 2015.

"I've been involved with the Iron Bridge for six years, preparing for this project. It's something that's close to my heart.

"There's been a lot of research, investigation and analysis.

"Through all of the research we've done we've learned the ironwork of the bridge is cracking in several places.

"That's largely due to some casting imperfections from when it was originally constructed.

"It is also due to the ground action in the gorge.

"What we know is the centre span is over a foot smaller than when it was constructed."

Where there are cracks, these will be cleaned and filled with a specialist resin, before faceplates are added.

Masonry conservation work will also take place and the bridge will be resurfaced.

Mr Cowles added: "We will be doing a lot of work to clean away corrosion and repaint it with a specialist paint to provide protection for another 25 years.

"It's a conservation project, not a restoration project, so we will only replace a component when it is absolutely necessary."

The bridge will remain open to the public throughout the work and a walkway will be added in March to allow pedestrians to see the work happening up close.

Mr Cowles said: "It's a big exciting project for us.

"The Iron Bridge itself is not a paying site for us, it's open to everyone for no charge.

"It's a really important gesture of our charitable status."

He said the project had been fortunate to secure a €1m donation from the German Hermann Reemtsma Foundation and all that is needed to finish the scheme will be £25,000.

The charity is hoping to raise that amount through its online crowd-funding campaign.

Jochen Muennich, of the Hermann Reemtsma Foundation, said the foundation had immediately recognised the value of the project, adding: "Not only do we admire the Iron Bridge as an important technical landmark, but we also see it as a potent reminder of our continent´s common cultural roots and values.

“This is the foundation´s first funding venture in the UK, a signal of our strong attachment to Great Britain in general, and to the mission of English Heritage in particular.

"In the current climate it seems more important than ever to raise awareness of the links in our industrial heritage and our broader cultural bonds.”

For more information on the scheme, search for ProjectIronBridge on Facebook and Twitter.