Fifty golden years
KEY DATES IN THE 50 YEARS OF IRONBRIDGE GORGE MUSEUM
February 3, 1967: Meeting to consider setting up a museum trust convened by Dawley Development Corporation.
October 15, 1967: Ironbridge Gorge Museum registered as a company.
September 28, 1969: Up to 700 people attend the first open day organised by the Museum Advisory Committee.
June 29, 1970: Princess Margaret hands over the lease of Coalbrookdale Works Museum and Furnace from Glynwed to the museum trust.
October 1, 1971: Neil Cossons becomes first museum director.
March 31, 1973: Official opening of Blists Hill open air museum by the Earl of Plymouth. Overall museum visitor numbers - 78,000.
July 23, 1976: Official opening of Coalport China Works museum.
June 22, 1977: Museum of the Year award.
February 14, 1978: Wins first European Museum of the Year award.
July 5, 1979: Bicentenary celebrations for the Iron Bridge. Prince Charles opens new Museum of Iron and becomes patron of the Museum.
1980: Visitor numbers - 182,905.
July 1983: Stuart Smith becomes director.
1985: Visitors - 276,053.
November 1986: UNESCO chooses Ironbridge as a World Heritage Site.
March 6, 1987: Prince Charles officially opens the ironworks.
1988: Visitor numbers soar by 62 per cent to 404,000.
May 8, 1989: Prince Charles opens the Museum of the River.
September 14, 1996: Broseley Pipe Works Museum opened.
August 6, 2002: Enginuity opens at Coalbrookdale in a £7 million development.
2007: Summer floods and road closures lead to a disastrous season, causing job losses.
Easter 2009: Major "Canal Street" expansion opened to public at Blists Hill.
2017: Museum holds series of events to mark its 50th anniversary.
