Iron Bridge restoration: Donations now over £45,000
More than £45,000 has been raised towards conservation work on Shropshire's iconic Iron Bridge.
Around 860 people have given money to the cause, which has now collected more than £45,900 towards protecting the bridge for hundreds of years to come.
English Heritage launched its first-ever crowd funding campaign on November 13, the first day of its conservation project on the bridge. Just over a week later, it hit its £40,000 target.
It has left the donation page open in the hopes of further funding important work on the bridge.
The target is complemented by a £900,000 (€1 million) donation from the German Hermann Reemtsma Foundation.
The fundraising page reads: “This historic bridge is suffering with stresses in its ironwork. Only careful conservation will protect it so that people in the future can enjoy it just as we do today.
“As we reach for our hard hats and put up the scaffolding, your support will ensure that the legacy of those who shaped our world today is passed on to generations to come.”
Money collected from the extended campaign will go towards helping to paint the 378-ton bridge.
The finishing touches will include hand-painting of each letter of the inscription that stretches along the Iron Bridge’s span over the river. The inscription links the bridge with the town of Coalbrookdale, where the metal was cast.
English Heritage said that the work would protect the bridge from damage caused by wind and rain for decades to come.
In total, work to restore the bridge is set to cost a staggering £3.6 million to carry out.
People who wish to donate can do so by visiting crowdfunder.co.uk/project-iron-bridge
