Iron Bridge goes under wraps for next 12 months

The plastic sheets, which are being put up to protect the bridge from the elements while work goes on, will be a permanent fixture on the landmark for the foreseeable future.

But the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit the hotspot each year will still be able to see bits of the bridge as it goes on.

English Heritage’s Tom Jones said: “In order to undertake this vital conservation project to safeguard the Iron Bridge for the long term, it needs to be protected from the elements during the works.

“We know this sadly will have an impact on those visiting the bridge, which is why we will shortly be installing new temporary visitor displays, and why we are investing in a special visitor walkway beside the bridge for summer 2018.

“This will offer visitors a brand new perspective on the structure, with windows allowing them to see it up close and witness the conservation works in action.

“We are grateful to the local community for their understanding while we undertake this essential project.”

The Iron Bridge is under threat from cracking due to stresses in the ironwork dating from the original construction and ground movement over the centuries.

English Heritage will now start to clean and conserve, repair and – where necessary – reinforce the different elements of the bridge: the iron radials and braces holding the bridge together, the deck plates and wedges, as well as the main iron arch itself.

At £3.6m, Project Iron Bridge is English Heritage’s single largest conservation project since it became a charity in 2015.

On Monday, the charity launched a crowdfunding appeal to raise £25,000 to fund part of the work, which has also benefitted from a €1m donation from the German Hermann Reemtsma Foundation.

To date, the total stands at over £30,000, with the charity now hoping to raise another £10,000 to help with the final painting work.