Iron museum reopens as mark of anniversary celebrations

But at the end of next week the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron will reopen to the public.

The new museum in Coalbrookdale will reveal how the remarkable events that happened in that part of Shropshire during the Industrial Revolution changed the world forever. The Museum of Iron forms the centrepiece of the celebrations marking 50 years of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, which works to conserving the heritage of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage site, that is internationally recognised as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

The crucial importance of iron in the world and in our lives will be told through the new museum, which will take visitors on a journey through time to explore how Coalbrookdale became the centre of the 4,000-year-old story of iron.

It will explore how developments in the iron industry were shaped by the geology of the area, as well as the entrepreneurial people that used the Gorge to their advantage and changed the industrial world forever.

Eleven of the 12 geological time periods are represented in Shropshire and were central to the industry that developed there.

Its rich coal seams had low sulphur content, meaning that it could be turned into good quality coke for fuelling furnaces and other raw materials, such as iron ore and lime stone were plentiful and easily accessible.

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 Iron Bridge may be Coalbrookdale's most recognised and inspirational structure, but the story of how the activities that took place here went on to change the world is a compelling one and we hope our visitors will enjoy it as part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, and for many years to come."