Ironbridge  Guide
Ironbridge Tourist Information & Visitor Guide
 

Museum of Iron, Enginuity & Darby Houses
 

Darby Furnace & Darby Houses

Return back to Dale Road and a little further on the left you will see The Museum of Iron with its magnificently restored and decorated clock tower made of iron.

Before visiting the main museums you might like to explore the area around. So carry on past the entrance and turn left onto Darby Road (after The Fat Frog and Grove). You will be looking at the impressive railway viaduct and the Museum of Iron will be on your left.

Pass under the viaduct and you will be facing an old garage with a public footpath to the right. Look to the right of the footpath and you will see an iron horse mounting block.

Continue up hill and you will pass Teakettle Lane on the left which was another area of foundry worker’s housing.

Darby Houses [13]

Museum of Iron

Further up the hill you will find the beautifully restored Darby Houses. where you can experience what life was like for the Darby family.

Continue past the last of the big houses (The Chestnuts) and look for a sign on your left for the Quaker Burial Grounds. If you follow the steps between The Chestnuts and the pottery shop on the right (which used to be the site of the old Quaker Meeting House), you will arrive at the gates and walled burial grounds with a diagram of the grave sites. The climb is a bit steep.

Abraham Darby I was buried in the Quaker Burial Grounds at Broseley in 1717. His son Abraham Darby II then acquired the land at Coalbrookdale for “Friends” - being members of the Quaker faith. Abraham Darby II, his wife and Abraham Darby III (builder of the Iron Bridge) are all buried here. The stones are simple and now all lean against the walls. The top of the land is dominated by two American Redwood (Sequoia) trees.

The last Darby to be buried in the grounds was Rebecca in 1908 and the last burial to take place was in 1982.

Return back down the steps to the main road and (if those steps didn't’t wear you out!) you could make two diversions for further walks:

Arboretum Walk

The first is back up hill to the right of the pottery shop on the paved path until you see a sign on the left for the Arboretum walk. It appears that the iron masters wanted all their walks to be pleasant and this one they planted special specimen trees, many of which are very old and very unusual. There aer sections of the paths that are a bit overgrown at present and others that are fine, so its quite nice to just mingle around and catch glimpses of the works below and the birds and wildlife in the woods.

Rope Walk

If you prefer a nice level walk with optional steps then cross the road, go through the Severn Gorge Countryside Trust gates and onto Rope Walk. The main part of this walk is along the wall of an old deer park belonging to the Darbys, where meadows and woods have been regenerated. The land has been left to grow as wildflower meadows, untouched by sprays of any kind. There are paths off the main flat walk which will lead you down to a brook or up over a hillside.

Afterwards, return to Darby Road and go back downhill, bear right at the viaduct and into the museum grounds.

This is the location of three more Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust attractions.

Museum of Iron & Enginuity [12]

In the grounds you can see the original Darby Furnace used to smelt iron - including that used in the construction of the famous Iron Bridge. The Museum of Iron is located in a former warehouse which contains a variety of iron history related exhibits, including a collection of fine art castings.

Enginuity

In an adjacent building you will find Enginuity - an interactive design and technology centre that aims to inspire and capture the imagination of everyone intrigued by the secrets of how things around them are made and how they work.

For those interested in serious research the Museum's library & archive service is also located here. Entry is by appointment only - contact 01952 432141.

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Ironbridge Tour

1. Buildwas
2. Buildwas - The Bridge
3. The Power Station
4. The Valley Hotel
5. The Greenwood Trust
6. Coalbrookdale
7. Aga-Rayburn
8. Coalbrookdale - Paradise
9. Coalbrookdale - Museums
10. Holy Trinity Church
11. Ironbridge - West
12. Ironbridge - The Wharfage
13. The Iron Bridge
14. Town Centre and East
15. Jackfield - West
16. Jackfield - East
17. Coalport & Blists Hill
18. Broseley
19. Benthall
 
Useful links


For escorted tours of the Ironbridge Gorge please visit:
Shropshire Tour Guides
Copyright © Paul & Sabine Hutchinson