Tent structure protecting Old Furnace at heart of Ironbridge Gorge in line for ‘essential’ repair
A ‘tent’ structure that has protected the spot credited with being the birthplace of the industrial revolution in Telford is set to be repaired and redecorated.
The Old Furnace in Coalbrookdale in the Ironbridge Gorge is recorded as the place where Abraham Darby I perfected iron smelting with coke in 1709 – a change which supercharged industry and sparked a movement which changed the world.
Built in 1638, the Old Furnace is recognised as a Scheduled Monument and a Grade I-listed structure. It has been protected since 1981 by a tent-shaped building with a steel roof and interior walkways.
Other historic structures in the area are also in need of work: the furnace’s backwall (a scheduled monument), the Wheelpit (Grade II-listed), and the Snapper Furnace (Grade II*-listed).
They are all in the Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage site and protected by strict planning regulations.
Oliver Architecture Ltd, working on behalf of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, has told council planners: “The tent covering the Old Furnace requires immediate attention and has some areas of loose brickwork which are required to be rebedded.
“Meanwhile the backwall of the Old Furnace are in poor condition with numerous areas of plant growth, disturbed high-level masonry and eroded pointing.
“The Wheelpit and its exposed unprotected brickwork area are decaying with evident plant growth and areas of metalwork requires redecoration.
“The high-level capping of the Snapper Furnace is failing leading to more loss of material, and high ground water levels are causing decay.”
The proposal for the furnace ‘tent’ is to replace the roof and gutters with a ‘maintenance-free’ steel-clad composite panel system.
Also proposed is changing the external colour from its existing faded brick brown to anthracite grey and redecorating the inside of the roof.
The planning agents have told planners at Telford & Wrekin Council that the original proposal was to redecorate and seal the existing covering.
But the costs of doing that have “proven almost as costly as a replacement roof and would come without warranty or guaranteed longevity”.
“It also would leave the interior panels untouched which through water ingress are starting to noticeably deteriorate.”
They added: “The proposed works are essential to preserve the architectural and historical significance of the monument and the listed buildings and extend its longevity, thereby allowing the future generations to enjoy the industrial period of Ironbridge Gorge.”
Telford & Wrekin Council planners have put the proposals out to public consultation with the full details on the council's planning website (reference TWC/2025/0633).
You can find out more about planning applications and planned roadworks where you live on the Public Notice Portal. Visit publicnoticeportal.uk.
