DAYS OUT
The historic Iron Bridge
Enginuity Blists Hill Victorian Town
The Lego bridge
Horse and cart rides at Blists Hill
Attractions galore in Ironbridge Gorge You’re never short of things to do in Ironbridge’s fantastic array of museums. This autumn you can see a Lego world record attempt and lots more besides
A
t Enginuity at Coalbrookdale from 31st August and you’ll be able to see the Ironbridge Gorge Museums attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the Lego bridge with the longest span. The museums have joined forces with the Institution of Civil Engineers for the attempt and plans are for the new bridge to be 34m long with a span of 16.9m, beating the existing record of 16.46m. The bridge will be on display throughout autumn, but there’s lots more to see at the museums. During the October halfterm, there is a range of events with a lunar or Halloween theme, for example. Marking the 50th anniversary of man’s first walk on the moon, you can enjoy an immersive lunar experience at Enginuity when artist Luke Jerram’s enormous 7m Moon sculpture is installed from 21st October to 10th November. The aweinspiring touring artwork was created using Nasa imagery of the lunar surface,
Half-term tile decorating workshops at Jackfield Tile Museum also have a lunar or Halloween theme. From 28th October to 1st November you can be as creative as your imagination allows and make your own ceramic masterpiece – perhaps the moon and stars shining in the night sky or the solar system and its planets.
Candy & Cobwebs
Created especially for younger people, Candy & Cobwebs at Blists Hill Victorian Town is a Halloween event Jackfield Tile Museum for under-eights taking place on 31st October and 1st November from 5pm to 7pm. Dress in your best Halloween outfit and explore the Upper Town’s historic streets, which will be decorated with lanterns, cobwebs and pumpkins. Try candle dipping, listen to a creepy story, design and colour in a pumpkin picture and knock on doors to ask for a treat from the spooky townsfolk.
Fireworks Night
Luke Jerram’s Moon at Enginuity
with an approximate scale of 1:500,000 – each centimetre of the spherical sculpture represents 5km of the moon’s surface.
DID YOU KNOW? There are 10 Ironbridge Gorge Museums
Blists Hill Victorian Town will also be getting fired up on 2nd November for its annual Fireworks Night. As well as the display at 7.30pm, you can see molten iron being poured into moulds during a dramatic iron-casting demonstration. Gates open at 6pm to allow time to explore the Victorian streets. Wrap up warm, tuck into hot food or a hot chocolate from the café and enjoy the smell of
coal fires burning as you make your way down to the Green for the show.
A Victorian Christmas
Blists Hill’s popular Victorian Christmas Weekends take place on 7th to 8th and 14th to 15th December, when the town will be festively decorated and Father Christmas will be in his Grotto. There’s also an exciting new festive event at Coalbrookdale.
The Furnace Kitchen
A new restaurant is now open at Coalbrookdale, providing a great place to eat and relax when visiting Enginuity or the Museum of Iron. Overseen by celebrity chef Marcus Bean, the Furnace Kitchen offers brunch, lunch, coffee and tea, cakes and main meals. Blists Hill also offers some great food options, including the entrance café, New Inn and the Fish Fryers with their renowned, traditionally cooked fish and chips. IRONBRIDGE GORGE MUSEUMS
Ironbridge Gorge Museums are open at varying times between the hours of 10am and 5pm. An Annual Passport Ticket, allowing multiple visits to all 10 museums, can be bought at the entrance or online saving five per cent; individual entry is also available. Activities vary from day to day and additional costs may apply. Call 01952 433424 or visit ironbridge.org.uk.
September/October 2019 | SHIRE MAGAZINE 45
Ironbridge SeptOct 2019 jwDB.indd 1
23/08/2019 12:56
