Ironbridge

Ironbridge is an important historic location in Shropshire, England.

The world's first iron bridge

Buildwas Abbey

Understand

“ THIS BRIDGE WAS CAST AT COALBROOK DALE AND ERECTED IN THE YEAR MDCCLXXIX ”

—Ironbridge's inscription

Ironbridge Gorge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the "birthplaces of industry" and central to the story of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain.

Get in

By car

Ironbridge Gorge is on the River Severn, 5 miles (8 km) south of Telford in Shropshire. Take junction 4 from the M54, and follow the brown and white traffic signs.

By train

1 Telford Central station (+44 8457 484950) in Telford is 5 miles (8 km) north of Blists Hill Victorian Town.

By bus

• Telford Travelink (☏ +44 1952 200005)

By bike

The National Cycle Route follows the route of a former canal and railway, now called "The Silkin Way" from North Telford, through the town centre to Ironbridge, via Blists Hill Museum.

Get around

A regular shuttle bus service (☏ +44 1952 200005) operates throughout the Gorge every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday. This bus also has limited links to the Rail Station.

If you are visiting the museums and want to see the surrounding area, a car is essential as public transport links vary from limited to non-existent. There is no free parking in Ironbridge, though parking charges are normally reasonable.

See

Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust

Parker's Steam Car at Enguinity

The Trade Showroom at Jackfield Tile Museum

A view along Canal Street at Blists Hill Victorian Town open air living museum

Jackfield Tile Museum Covent Garden tube replica station

Most of Ironbridge is overseen by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. A year-long annual pass is available which allows entry to all the museums (adult £37, child £21.50 in 2024), and is very good value for money if you intend to visit a number of them.

• 1 Iron Bridge and tollhouse. The world's first iron bridge, built in 1779. There is a small visitor's centre on one side.  
• 2 Museum of the Gorge, TF8 7NH, ☏ +44 1952 433424. 10AM-5PM. A small museum, but containing a large diorama model of the gorge at the height of its industry. A visit here first helps to put all of the museums into context.  
• 3 Blists Hill Museum, TF7 5UD, ☏ +44 1952 433424. 10AM-5PM. A living history museum and reconstructed Victorian town.  
• 4 Museum of Iron, Coalbrookdale, TF8 7DQ, ☏ +44 1952 433424. 10AM-5PM. Abraham Darby's original blast furnace and a large Victorian warehouse, now housing a museum of the Coalbrookdale company.  
• 5 Enginuity, TF8 7DQ, ☏ +44 1952 433424. 10AM-5PM. An interactive science & engineering museum aimed at children.  
• 6 Jackfield Tile Museum, Salthouse Rd, Jackfield, TF8 7LJ, ☏ +44 1952 884124. 10AM-5PM. A privately-owned museum documenting the history of ceramic tiles.  
• 7 Coalport China Museum, High St, Telford, TF8 7HT, ☏ +44 1952 580650. 10AM-5PM. The original home of Coalport china, now a museum.  
• 8 Broseley Pipe Works, ☏ +44 1952 433424. One of the Ironbridge Museums. A Victorian clay tobacco pipe works. (updated Oct 2016)
• 9 Darby Houses Museum, 30 Darby Rd, Coalbrookdale,TF8 7EW. 11AM-3PM. Former houses belonging to Abraham Darby I, a Quaker and industrialist who developed a method of producing pig iron with a blast furnace using coke instead of charcoal which was vital to the Industrial Revolution. His work can be seen at the Museum of Iron. (updated Jan 2018)
• 10 Tar Tunnel. Spoaradic availability of tours during summer and at Easter — check the website. A long, dark tunnel used to extract bitumen (or tar). It was previously open to the public, but is now unsafe to enter. The entrance however can still be seen by visitors. Adult £3.50, child £2.50. (updated Mar 2024)

Other attractions

Benthall Hall

• 11 Buildwas Abbey, Nr Ironbridge, TF8 7BW, ☏ +44 1952 433274. An ancient abbey ruin owned by English Heritage just outside Ironbridge. It is advisable to use a car to get to as, while it is within walking distance, it is a walk of around a mile along a road with no pavement. Adult £3.60, child £2.20, concessions £3.20.  
• 12 The Green Wood Centre (formerly The Greenwood Trust), Station Rd, Coalbrookdale, TF8 7DR, ☏ +44 1952 432769. A forest management and conversation centre.  
• 13 Benthall Hall, Benthall, nr Broseley, TF12 5RX, ☏ +44 1952 882159. Feb-Oct: Tu W Sa Su. Manor house run by the National Trust. (updated Mar 2018)

Buy

There is a souvenir shop in the Ironbridge Gorge near the Iron Bridge itself and an online store for distance shopping.

• 1 Ironbridge Gorge Museum Shop, 34 High St, Ironbridge, TF8 7AG, ☏ +44 1952 433253. (updated Jan 2018)

There is also a bookshop nearby.

• 2 The Ironbridge Book Shop, 5 The Square, Ironbridge, TF8 7AQ, ☏ +44 1952 432273. 10AM-5PM. An independent bookshop known particularly for its inventory of near-antique Penguin Books. (updated Jun 2018)

Eat

Various expensive pubs and nondescript curry houses / Italian restaurants. Also a good Thai place next to the bridge.

• 1 Eighty-Six'd, 1a Waterloo St, TF8 7AA, ☏ +44 1952 432620, info@eightysixd.co.uk. W-Su 10AM-6PM, M Tu closed. Cafe and art gallery with a creative menu of soups, salads and sandwiches, as well as typical cafe drinks, snacks and desserts. Vegetarian-friendly and gluten-free-friendly. (updated Jun 2018)

Splurge

• 2 Clays of Broseley, 67 High Street, Broseley, TF12 5EX, ☏ +44 1952 884667. (updated Jun 2018)
• 3 Restaurant Severn, 33 High St, Ironbridge, TF8 7AG, ☏ +44 1952 432233. M Tu closed, W-Sa noon-4:30PM then 6-11PM, Su noon-6PM. (updated Jun 2018)

Drink

A near-exhaustive list of pubs in the area can be found on this site.

• 1 The Malt House, Wharfage, TF8 7NH, ☏ +44 1952 433712. (updated Jun 2018)
• 2 The Swan Taphouse, 21 Wharfage, TF8 7NH, ☏ +44 1952 433108, info@theswantaphouse.co.uk. M-Th 11AM-11PM, F 11AM-midnight, Sa 9AM-midnight, Su 9AM-10PM. (updated Jun 2018)
• 3 The White Hart, 10 Wharfage, TF8 7AW, ☏ +44 1952 432901. 11AM-10PM. (updated Jun 2018)

Sleep

There are a large number of small inns and Bed & Breakfasts in or near Ironbridge. When searching for accommodation outside of Ironbridge, it is worth looking across Telford and Madeley.

Budget

There is are Youth Hostel Association hostels at Coalport and Coalbrookdale, both campuses being part of the same hostel. The latter campus is very modern and popular, though is not ideal for self-catering visitors.

• 1 YHA Ironbridge Coalport, John Rose Building, High St, Coalport, Telford, TF8 7HT (opposite the Coalport China Museum), ☏ +44 345 371 9325. Check-in: 5-10PM, check-out: before 10pm. (updated Dec 2020)
• 2 YHA Ironbridge Coalbrookdale, 1 Paradise, Coalbrookdale, Telford, TF8 7NR, ☏ +44 345 371 9325. Check-in: 5-10PM, check-out: before 10PM. (updated Dec 2020)

No camp sites are available in Ironbridge itself, though there are more in South Shropshire and Shrewsbury directions.

Mid-range

• 3 Buckatree Hall Hotel, The Wrekin, Telford, TF6 5AL, ☏ +44 1952 641821, sales@buckatreehallhotel.com. 
• 4 The Calcutts House, Calcutts Road, Jackfield, TF8 7LH, ☏ +44 1952 882631. Well-run 18th-century home with kind hosts. It is located a little outside the main town (20-minute walk), very close to the tile museum. Six rooms. £40-70. 
• 5 Mercure Telford Madeley Court Hotel, Castlefields Way, Madeley (From the M54 exit at Junction 4 and take the second exit at the roundabout and proceed along the A464 to Telford (not Shifnal). At the next roundabout take the second exit and follow to Randlay Interchange Roundabout. Take the first exit: the slip road will lead you down onto the A442 dual carriageway. Continue on this road (do not turn off for Madeley / Kidderminster A442) until it narrows into a single lane (A4169). Follow this to the Castlefields Roundabout and take the very first exit - B4373 - the hotel drive is about 200 metres on the left.), ☏ +44 1952 680068. The Mercure Telford Madeley Court Hotel is a 16th Century Manor House steeped in history offering both the facilities of a modern hotel and the ambience of a beautiful Manor House in countryside surroundings. From £41.30.  
• 6 Library House, 11 Severn Bank TF8 7AN (next to bridge), ☏ +44 1952 432299. Georgian library converted into charming B&B. No children under 13 or dogs. B&B double £110. (updated Aug 2020)

Splurge

• 7 The Valley Hotel, Buildwas Road, TF8 7DW, ☏ +44 1952 432247. A period Best Western property to the west of Ironbridge, with pleasant views overlooking the park and a particularly well regarded restaurant. (updated Oct 2016)

Go next

Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby

You can head out by car:

• North to Telford
• South toward Much Wenlock, Bridgnorth and Church Stretton part of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
• West toward Shrewsbury and North Wales

It's worth exploring Wellington which, like Ironbridge, is part of the new-town of Telford, which has a nice town park which is worth a visit if you have children.

Telford Steam Railway is also a pleasant trip on a Sundays or Bank Holidays, as is a walk up the nearby Wrekin Hill.