Irongbridge Gorge
The gorge Ironbridge impresses with its beautiful scenery, but also has important historical significance for England. Here was born the Industrial Revolution, and in recognition of the important role of Iron Bridge it is declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The area around IronBridge including the picturesque English villages and tranquil natural scenery is located in the central part of the country, and separate it from Shrewsbury about 22 km to the east. In the area were built several small settlements, which impress with their Victorian atmosphere.
One of them stands out with its completely redesigned architecture. It is like an open-air museum where you can visit a functioning foundry. It has craftsmen dressed in traditional Victorian dress, showing tourists various subtleties of his craft.
Among the interesting museums to visit here are that of the tile and the Museum of clay pipes. The latter is a former factory, which functioned until 1957 and until now has remained virtually unchanged from when work was going on.
Surely Stokesay Castle must be considered, as must Ludlow and Bridgnorth. Emblematic of the village are the semicircular bridge supports. His reflection in the calm river bottom creates the illusion of a full circle, because the waters are calm and almost do not budge.
A total of about ten museums that preserve the historic role of this place in the era of industrial revolution. The most important family in this time was the Darby, whose three generations have contributed enormously in steel casting. Abraham Darby first introduced the technology of smelting iron ore with coke in 1709, which favors local factories and production of locomotives, steel wheels and rails.
This was the first stage of the British railway network. Abraham Darby II invented a new method for forging iron, which entered production in single metal beams. The third heir of the family is the one who built the iconic bridge to the city in 1779. Iron Bridge represents the world's first iron bridge.
