Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron

Over het museum

Coalbrookdale is where Abraham Darby I perfected the smelting of iron with coke instead of charcoal in the early 18th century, a step that made cheap iron widely available and helped start the Industrial Revolution. The Coalbrookdale Company that grew from his furnace became famous for the quality and invention of its castings, from cooking pots and everyday ironware to bridges and decorative work sent to exhibitions around the world.

In 1959 the site of the Old Furnace was excavated to mark 250 years since Darby's first coke smelting, which led to a small museum on the spot. In 1970 it became part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust as the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron. It lies within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

The galleries explain why the local geology made the gorge a natural home for early industry and tell the story of the Darby family. Displays show how iron objects changed ordinary households and how the firm produced elaborate art castings. In 2026 the museum, together with the other Ironbridge Gorge museums, passed to the care of the National Trust, which now runs it alongside the nearby Old Furnace, which is closed for conservation repairs.

Hoogtepunten

• Story of iron-making and the Darby family
• Domestic and decorative cast ironwork
• Boy and Swan fountain made for the Great Exhibition of 1851
• Deerhound Table designed for the 1855 Paris exhibition
• Early Coalbrookdale cooking pots
• Hands-on, audio and touch-screen displays

Vaste collectie

• Story of iron – Galleries on how Coalbrookdale's geology and the Darby family made it the birthplace of cheap iron, with everyday and art castings.
• Old Furnace – The remains of the blast furnace where Abraham Darby I smelted iron with coke; currently closed for conservation repairs.

Opgericht

1959

Beheerder

National Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices are without the optional Gift Aid donation (adult £9.90 with Gift Aid). National Trust members enter free, English Heritage members get a 15% discount until 1 April 2027, and existing Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust PASS and PASS PLUS cards are honoured until they expire.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Step-free route from the car park to the entrance and into the main galleries, with a lift and stairs to the upper levels of the three-floor museum. Accessible toilets are outside the museum and at the Furnace Kitchen, and wheelchairs can be hired free on a first come, first served basis. Sensory items such as fidget toys and ear defenders are available from the welcome desk, and the museum has hands-on objects, audio and touch-screen displays. The clock on the top level can be very loud. The nearby Old Furnace has level access and a ramped boardwalk, but low lighting and uneven ground, and the wider Coalbrookdale site has some steep sections.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Doe- en voelstations
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte

Pushchairs are welcome at the museum. There is baby changing at the museum and the Furnace Kitchen, and highchairs in the café. Children's scooters and balance bikes should be left at home. The Madeley Wood Adventure Playground is at the sister site, Blists Hill.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Exit the M54 at junction 4 or 6 and follow the brown and white signs for Ironbridge Gorge. Sat nav postcode TF8 7DQ (what3words skies.launch.skin). Cycle racks are next to the Furnace Kitchen, and the Silkin Way links the area to Telford on foot and by bike.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Restaurant: niet aanwezig
• Museumwinkel: niet aanwezig

The Furnace Kitchen café next door serves hot and cold drinks, cakes, sandwiches, children's lunch boxes and ice cream, daily from 9:00 to 16:00, with a toilet and changing area at the back. Souvenirs are sold at the main shop at Blists Hill; a small range for the Museum of Iron is planned.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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