Ironbridge Gorge | National Trust
Source: https://www.ironbridge.org.uk/explore/jackfield-tile-museum
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:32
Ironbridge Gorge | National Trust
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Blists Hill Victorian Town, Legges Way, Telford, Shropshire, TF7 5UD
The industrial heritage of Ironbridge
|
©
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
Important notice
The Ironbridge Gorge sites in our care remain temporarily closed as we prepare for a phased reopening. Local businesses at Jackfield and Coalport remain open.
Blists Hill Victorian Town, Legges Way, Telford, Shropshire, TF7 5UD
01952433424
ironbridgegorge@nationaltrust.org.uk
While we prepare for re-opening there are still many reasons to visit the area, including the iconic bridge itself (in the care of English Heritage) and the many local businesses which remain open. There are also several other National Trust places just a short visit away.
Place
Attingham Park
An 18th-century estate for all seasons with 200 acres of parkland and Regency Mansion
Place
Place
Dudmaston Hall
A working estate with an old family home at its heart
Place
Place
Benthall Hall
A family home for 500 years. Benthall Hall and garden are open Saturday to Monday during term time and Saturday to Wednesday during local school holidays.
Place
Place
Dudmaston Estate Comer Woods
A working woodland for nature, people and wildlife
Place
Place
Wightwick Manor and Gardens
Paint, Politics and Pre-Raphaelite Artists
Place
Iron Bridge
Cared for by English Heritage, the world's first iron bridge was erected over the River Severn here in Shropshire in 1779. This pioneering structure marked a turning point in English design and engineering; after it was built, cast iron came to be widely used in the construction of bridges, aqueducts and buildings.
We're really looking forward to caring for Ironbridge Gorge into the future and welcoming back long-term supporters as well as sharing this special place with new visitors. Read about our plans and timings below.
Project
Ironbridge Gorge museums
From spring 2026 we have taken on the care and management of the places that make up the birthplace of the industrial revolution within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site in Shropshire.
The Ironbridge Gorge is a globally-important UNESCO World Heritage site, meaning it is recognised internationally as being ‘of outstanding value to humanity’, comprised of buildings, structures and artefacts of international, national and local significance.
There are ten places within the Gorge site, including the Blists Hill Victorian Town and Enginuity Museum all of which have transferred into our care.
Project
Blists Hill Victorian Town
Be immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of Victorian life as you step back in time to the year 1900. Visit Victorian shops and cottages, meet craftspeople demonstrating their trades and taste authentic food as you explore a recreated working-class town in the East Shropshire Coalfield.
Museum of Iron and The Old Furnace
Delve into the story of iron, the material that transformed the modern world. Discover the original blast furnace where Abraham Darby I perfected the iron smelting technique that triggered the Industrial Revolution and changed our lives forever.
Enginuity
Enginuity is packed with interactive science activities and experiments that kids can enjoy independently. From generating power using water to discovering how a blast furnace works to building their own Iron Bridge, they will have plenty of opportunity to get hands-on, learn and have some fun.
Jackfield Tile Museum
Explore the colourful history of tiles in a former factory whose tiles went around the world.
Stroll through a London underground station, a 1940s bar and centuries of tilemaking. Next door, there's the chance to book onto tile making workshops led by Craven Dunnil.
Coalport China Museum and The Tar Tunnel
Coalport China Museum is located inside the former Coalport China Works. For more than a century, the Works were among the most successful anywhere in the world with china travelling from the kilns of Coalport across the globe. Close-by is the the 1,000-yeard (914 metre) Tar Tunnel which was dug out in 1786 to bring coal out of the mines at river level.
Museum of the Gorge and Iron Bridge Toll House
Goods produced in Coalbrookdale went through the Severn Warehouse, now the Museum of the Gorge, on their journey to the rest of the country and around the world. The Iron Bridge Toll House stands at the foot of the world famous Iron Bridge, one of the greatest symbols of where the Industrial Revolution began.
Darby Houses
A short walk from Museum of Iron are the Darby Houses, former homes to the Darby family. Rosehill House, built in 1738, and Dale House, built in 1717, sit on the hillside overlooking Coalbrookdale, so that the industrialists who lived there could have easy access to their place of work.
Broseley Pipeworks
Little has changed at the Broseley Pipeworks since it ceased operating as one of the UK’s last producers of clay tobacco pipes in the late 1950’s. Untouched for 80 years, and re-opened as a museum in 1996, the Pipeworks is a time capsule depicting perfectly an ancient local industry which spanned 300 years.
Upcoming events
Sorry, there are no upcoming events at this place
Offering a powerful insight into the origins and birthplace of modern-day industry, the Ironbridge Gorge museums with their extraordinary social and cultural history have a unique ability to tell the story of the industrial revolution. Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ironbridge Gorge serves as a reminder of the area’s unique contribution to the history and development of industrialised society. The buildings and collections have direct associations with individuals, families and communities that lived and worked in the Gorge and were part of, or witness to, the seismic events that took place here. This hugely influential site provides a direct link between the beginnings of the industrial revolution in this valley and the evolution and significance of Britain’s industrial past on a global scale.
Sign up to hear more from the National Trust
By sharing your email address you’re agreeing to receive marketing emails from the National Trust and confirm you’re 18 years old or over.
Please see our
for more information on how we look after your personal data.
Focus Reset
Skip to content
back to Shropshire and Staffordshire
Blists Hill Victorian Town, Legges Way, Telford, Shropshire, TF7 5UD
The industrial heritage of Ironbridge
|
©
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
Important notice
The Ironbridge Gorge sites in our care remain temporarily closed as we prepare for a phased reopening. Local businesses at Jackfield and Coalport remain open.
Blists Hill Victorian Town, Legges Way, Telford, Shropshire, TF7 5UD
01952433424
ironbridgegorge@nationaltrust.org.uk
While we prepare for re-opening there are still many reasons to visit the area, including the iconic bridge itself (in the care of English Heritage) and the many local businesses which remain open. There are also several other National Trust places just a short visit away.
Place
Attingham Park
An 18th-century estate for all seasons with 200 acres of parkland and Regency Mansion
Place
Place
Dudmaston Hall
A working estate with an old family home at its heart
Place
Place
Benthall Hall
A family home for 500 years. Benthall Hall and garden are open Saturday to Monday during term time and Saturday to Wednesday during local school holidays.
Place
Place
Dudmaston Estate Comer Woods
A working woodland for nature, people and wildlife
Place
Place
Wightwick Manor and Gardens
Paint, Politics and Pre-Raphaelite Artists
Place
Iron Bridge
Cared for by English Heritage, the world's first iron bridge was erected over the River Severn here in Shropshire in 1779. This pioneering structure marked a turning point in English design and engineering; after it was built, cast iron came to be widely used in the construction of bridges, aqueducts and buildings.
We're really looking forward to caring for Ironbridge Gorge into the future and welcoming back long-term supporters as well as sharing this special place with new visitors. Read about our plans and timings below.
Project
Ironbridge Gorge museums
From spring 2026 we have taken on the care and management of the places that make up the birthplace of the industrial revolution within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site in Shropshire.
The Ironbridge Gorge is a globally-important UNESCO World Heritage site, meaning it is recognised internationally as being ‘of outstanding value to humanity’, comprised of buildings, structures and artefacts of international, national and local significance.
There are ten places within the Gorge site, including the Blists Hill Victorian Town and Enginuity Museum all of which have transferred into our care.
Project
Blists Hill Victorian Town
Be immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of Victorian life as you step back in time to the year 1900. Visit Victorian shops and cottages, meet craftspeople demonstrating their trades and taste authentic food as you explore a recreated working-class town in the East Shropshire Coalfield.
Museum of Iron and The Old Furnace
Delve into the story of iron, the material that transformed the modern world. Discover the original blast furnace where Abraham Darby I perfected the iron smelting technique that triggered the Industrial Revolution and changed our lives forever.
Enginuity
Enginuity is packed with interactive science activities and experiments that kids can enjoy independently. From generating power using water to discovering how a blast furnace works to building their own Iron Bridge, they will have plenty of opportunity to get hands-on, learn and have some fun.
Jackfield Tile Museum
Explore the colourful history of tiles in a former factory whose tiles went around the world.
Stroll through a London underground station, a 1940s bar and centuries of tilemaking. Next door, there's the chance to book onto tile making workshops led by Craven Dunnil.
Coalport China Museum and The Tar Tunnel
Coalport China Museum is located inside the former Coalport China Works. For more than a century, the Works were among the most successful anywhere in the world with china travelling from the kilns of Coalport across the globe. Close-by is the the 1,000-yeard (914 metre) Tar Tunnel which was dug out in 1786 to bring coal out of the mines at river level.
Museum of the Gorge and Iron Bridge Toll House
Goods produced in Coalbrookdale went through the Severn Warehouse, now the Museum of the Gorge, on their journey to the rest of the country and around the world. The Iron Bridge Toll House stands at the foot of the world famous Iron Bridge, one of the greatest symbols of where the Industrial Revolution began.
Darby Houses
A short walk from Museum of Iron are the Darby Houses, former homes to the Darby family. Rosehill House, built in 1738, and Dale House, built in 1717, sit on the hillside overlooking Coalbrookdale, so that the industrialists who lived there could have easy access to their place of work.
Broseley Pipeworks
Little has changed at the Broseley Pipeworks since it ceased operating as one of the UK’s last producers of clay tobacco pipes in the late 1950’s. Untouched for 80 years, and re-opened as a museum in 1996, the Pipeworks is a time capsule depicting perfectly an ancient local industry which spanned 300 years.
Upcoming events
Sorry, there are no upcoming events at this place
Offering a powerful insight into the origins and birthplace of modern-day industry, the Ironbridge Gorge museums with their extraordinary social and cultural history have a unique ability to tell the story of the industrial revolution. Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ironbridge Gorge serves as a reminder of the area’s unique contribution to the history and development of industrialised society. The buildings and collections have direct associations with individuals, families and communities that lived and worked in the Gorge and were part of, or witness to, the seismic events that took place here. This hugely influential site provides a direct link between the beginnings of the industrial revolution in this valley and the evolution and significance of Britain’s industrial past on a global scale.
Sign up to hear more from the National Trust
By sharing your email address you’re agreeing to receive marketing emails from the National Trust and confirm you’re 18 years old or over.
Please see our
for more information on how we look after your personal data.