The iron bridge that spans the River Severn near to the Shropshire village of Coalbrookdale was the first of its kind anywhere in the world when it was constructed in 1779. This pioneering use of cast iron was afterwards adopted widely in the construction of bridges, aqueducts and other structures.

The bridge's fame became so great that it gave its name to the spectacular wooded gorge which surrounds it, now the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

In 2017-18 English Heritage undertook a £3.6m conservation project on the Iron Bridge to protect the future of this historic example of British ironwork.

JakobusPilger

June 19, 2024

"In order to be able to transport his goods, the ironworks owner Abraham Darby III was looking for an architect who could build him a stable bridge made of "stone, brick or wood" across the five-kilometer-wide valley of the Severn in central England. Thomas Pritchard accepted the challenge, but he built a bridge made of cast iron, the completion of which in 1781 marked the beginning of the new "Iron Age". It was the largest free-floating bridge construction of the time. Built at the highest point of the valley, the Iron Bridge became a symbol of the industrial power of the Darbys and a monument to the Industrial Revolution." With these words, the website for the television series "Treasures of the World - Heritage of Humanity" presents its film contribution (in German) about the UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site "Iron Bridge": ardmediathek.de/video/schaetze-der-welt/ironbridge-grossbrittanien-folge-156/3sat/Y3JpZDovL3N3ci5kZS83MTUyMDA4

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 50 m

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Take Me There

Location: The Gorge, Telford and Wrekin, West Midlands Region, England, United Kingdom

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