IRONBRIDGE

Andy Richardson Explores The Historic Town And Its Many Attractions

Itmay not be able to compete with Shropshire towns like Shrewsbury and Ludlow in terms of size, but Ironbridge is arguably themost important of all.

The so-called birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, it became part of aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site in 1986, covering the wider Ironbridge Gorge Area. It has since become amajor tourist attraction and welcomed the late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Duke of Edinburgh.

Its fame owes everything to the idea that Abraham Darby perfected the technique of smelting iron with coke, in Coalbrookdale, allowing much cheaper production of iron. However, the industrial revolution did not begin in any one place.Darby’s iron smelting was but onesmall part of this generalised revolution and was soon superseded by the great iron-smelting areas. However, the bridge –being the first of its kind fabricated from cast iron, andone of the few which have survived to the present day –remains an important symbol representative of the dawn of the industrialage.

The grandson of the first Abraham Darby,Abraham DarbyIII, built the bridge –originally designed by Thomas Farnolls Pritchard –tolink thetwo areas. Construction began in 1779, and the bridge opened on New Year’s Day 1781. Soonafterwards the ancient Madeley market was relocated to the new purpose-built square and Georgian Butter Cross. The former dispersed settlement of Madeley Wood gained a planned urban focus as Ironbridge, the commercial andadministrative centre of the Coalbrookdale coalfield.

The beautiful Ironbridge now stands as one of the greatest symbols of where the Industrial Revolution started. Tourists have flocked there since 1779 to marvel at an extraordinary structure that dominates the small town that takes its name.

The Iron Bridge proprietors also built the Tontine Hotel to accommodate visitors to the new bridge and the industrial sites of the Severn Gorge. Across asquare facing the hotel, stands Ironbridge’s war memorial, which was erected in 1924. It is abronzestatue of aFirst World Warsoldier in marching order,sculpted by Arthur George Walker, whose signature appears as does that of A.B. Burton, the foundry worker who erected it.

The history of Ironbridge is curated by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. Thecollections at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT) total more than 135,000 objects and includes buildings and monuments, archival material, books, and costume, as well as collections relating to the decorative arts, industry and engineering, localhistory,transport, and natural history.

IGMT also has aReference Library and Archive which hold an extensive range of materials relating to these subjects. All of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust’scollections are designated as being of national significance by Arts Council England andcan be accessed for free.

The area boasts arange of attractions, from Blists Hill VictorianTown to Enginuity,from the TarTunnel to Jackfield Tile Museum, from Coalport China Museum to Broseley Pipeworks, and from Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron to Darby Houses.

The tile museum is particularly notable.

Jackfield was once at the very heart of British tile production and there visitors can see why.They can walk among the very best examples in-situ at arecreated pub, tube station, church and more. They can also see stunning friezes, epic storytelling panels and aworld-class gallery dedicated to British tiles.

Ironbridge’s historydoesn’t extend to Abraham

Darby and Victorian tilemakers, however In more recent times, Merrythought Teddy Bears have become synonymous with the area.

The story of Merrythought began in 1930. William Gordon Holmes, owner of aspinning mill in Yorkshire called ‘Holmes &Laxton’, recognised the opportunity to make premium soft toys from the luxurious natural fibres they sourced. He found abeautiful brick foundry building in Ironbridge, home of the industrial revolution, and with the help of ateamofskilled local seamstresses, Merrythought was born.

The first collection was designed by Florence Attwood, aremarkable pattern maker who overcame many challenges associated with being deaf and unable to speak, to create some of Merrythought’s most iconic designs. They included the original Merrythought and Magnet teddy bears, which still have astrong influence upon the designs created today

Merrythought’sheritage is something its owners are immensely proud of, and the original factory in Ironbridge, Shropshire, remains Merrythought’s home to this day; amagical place where each teddy bear is brought to life using the finest materials and traditional craftsmanship that has been handed down the four generations of the company

Today the Merrythought teddy bear is still widely regarded as the ultimate childhood toy,treasured by children and adult collectors across the globe. The company timeless traditional characters continue to be hand-made in the original factory,alongside stunning limited edition bears that commemorative occasions such as the Olympic Games and Royal Weddings.

Merrythought created special commemorativeteddy bearstomark thebirth of His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge and each of his siblings, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte. Abearto celebrate the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first child, Archie, was alater addition to theseriesafter his birth in 2019. Merrythought was also commissioned to produceexclusive Royal Baby teddy bears for the Royal Collection Trust, operator of theofficial Buckingham Palace Shop, with number one of each limited edition being gifted to the respective Prince or Princess.

To celebrateHer Majesty The Queen’s 90th Birthday in 2016,

Merrythought designed and produced a splendid limited-edition teddy bear that really encapsulated Queen Elizabeth’s grace and refined sense of dress. Through studying the designs of her preferred dressmaker,a beautifully authentic overcoat andmatching hat were created from the finest lilac silk, one of her favourite colours.

The area has adiscernible buzz through summer and an annual Coracle Regatta is held in August on the River Severn at Ironbridge, along with many other events throughout theyear.The event originated because the coraclemaking family of Rogers lived in Ironbridge for several generations. Just outside Ironbridge in Coalbrookdale is the Ironbridge Institute, apartnership between the University of Birmingham and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust offering postgraduate and professional development in heritage. With plenty of cafes, pubs and restaurants, there’s something to please all-comers.