World Heritage Site

Sometimes known as the "Valley of Invention", the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site is universally recognised for its unique role in the development of the Industrial Revolution that originated in Britain in the early years of the 18th century.

A number of significant factors combined to give rise to this, including, the abundant presence of the raw materials of production (coal, ironstone, clay and wood); rivers for power and transportation; and perhaps most significantly, entrepreneurs, innovators and engineers with vision, imagination and ambition. Names such as Abraham Darby, John Wilkinson, William Reynolds and Thomas Telford are inextricably linked with the history of this area, and the Ironbridge Gorge still contains much evidence of their work and influence in the buildings, structures, artefacts and settlement patterns that exist today.

The focal point of the Ironbridge Gorge is perhaps the Iron Bridge itself - the first bridge in the world to be constructed of iron. Built in 1779 to a design by Shrewsbury architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard and cast at the Coalbrookdale ironworks of Abraham Darby III, the bridge soon became a tourist attraction, drawing people from many countries, including artists, engineers and entrepreneurs. The Iron Bridge remains a powerful icon of the Industrial Revolution recognised across the world.

Historically, the economy of the Ironbridge Gorge was based on the industries of mining, iron and ceramics. With the exception of the Coalbrookdale Works of the Aga-Rayburn company (a world-class, internationally known company producing cookers and stoves) and the recent re-introduction of tile making in Jackfield, the traditional industries have long since disappeared.

The distinctive landscape of the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site is characterised by an unusual combination of remains of early industry and mining, land use patterns of agriculture and woodland management, and the survival and continued use of many historic industrial, commercial and residential buildings.

These are all set within a dramatic and attractive "natural-looking" valley landscape, with steep, hanging woodlands interspersed with smaller areas of settlement, grasslands and other open spaces with the River Severn as a large, unifying landscape feature.