Ironbridge

Ironbridge is a settlement beside the River Severn in the parish of Madeley, Shropshire, England. It is a few kilometers south of Telford.

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The town grew up beside, and takes its name from, The Iron Bridge, a 30 metre (100 foot) cast iron bridge that was built across the river there in 1779.

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The area around the town is often described as 'The Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution', because it was here that Abraham Darby I perfected the technique of smelting iron with coke, allowing much cheaper production of iron. The grandson of the first Abraham Darby, Abraham Darby III built the famous bridge in 1779, and since then the town has grown.

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By the ninteenth century, the town had had many well-known visitors including Benjamin Disraeli, but by the twentieth century the town was in decline. Recently though, the town has become part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has become a tourist attraction. Most industries in the town are now tourist related, however the Merrythought Teddy Bear company (established in 1931) is still manufacturing in Ironbridge.

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An Annual Coracle Regatta is held in August on the River Severn at Ironbridge, along with many other events throughout the year.

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River Severn: The River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren) is the longest British river, at 354 kilometres (219 miles) long; it rises at an altitude of 610 metres on Plynlimon near Llanidloes, in the Cambrian Mountains, Mid Wales, and it passes through a number of English counties, with the county towns of Shrewsbury, W...

Madeley: Madeley is a district of Telford, in Shropshire.There is another Madeley in Staffordshire, near the M6 motorway about 5 miles west of Newcastle-under-Lyme.Madeley is also a suburb of Perth, Western Australia....

Shropshire: Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or Shrops) is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in the West Midlands region of England. The ceremonial county borders Cheshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and the Welsh ceremonial counties of Powys and Clwyd....

Ironbridge related Images and Photos (experimental)

The Iron Bridge Over the Severn at Coalbrookdale