Area #1: The Industrial Midlands, Coalbrookdale

I can write no better an introduction to the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron than to quote from the opening display:

“Iron is everywhere – it is the fourth most common constituent of the earths crust. It is in our blood and part of a healthy diet. Iron is in our vocabulary and there is a word for iron in almost every known language. Iron is taken to represent strength and steel as a symbol of determination. Iron is a part of everyday life and a basic component of the world in which we live now. Our world is a product of the Industrial Revolution which gathered pace from 1700 and in which this corner of Shropshire was to play a major role.”

“The history of ironmaking stretches back over 4 thousand years but some of the most important events in the development of ironmaking…