Ironbridge

Included as one of the first UK World Heritage Sites in 1986, the clue is in the name when it comes to Ironbridge Gorge. This was the place – a dramatic wooded ravine created by the River Severn – where the first cast-iron bridge was built in 1779.

Ironbridge, the town that sprang up beside the elegant River Severn crossing, became the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

This area, overflowing with natural resources such as coal, iron ore and limestone were all useful to the fledgling industries of the time.

Throughout the 18th century the gorge was a hotbed of production and manufacture, from smelting lead and blowing glass to making parts for steam engines and railway wagons.

However, the lack of a bridge over the Severn was a continual problem. The ferries that carried raw materials across the river were unable to operate whenever it was in spate or too low.

Ironworks owner Abraham Darby III was duly commissioned to build a bridge. The result was an immediate success. And when the structure remained solidly in place during the terrible Severn floods of 1795, it served as Darby’s cast-iron guarantee to customers as to the efficacy of his product.