The
birthplace of the Industrial Revolution was the
Ironbridge gorge in
Shropshire . Here, the world’s first iron bridge was constructed between
1777 and 1781 and spans the river Severn .
During the 18th century, this area was rich with raw materials including coal, iron ore, water (which was used for both the generation of power and transportation), sand (for moulding cast iron), limestone to flux the slag in the blast-furnaces, and clay to make tiles and bricks.
This wealth of materials first attracted the attention of Abraham Darby to Coalbrookdale in 1708. He was the first of three generations who were to be awarded the prestigious title of the founding fathers of the Industrial Revolution.
Darby was a Quaker ironmaster who travelled from Bristol to take over the blast-furnace at Coalbrookdale. In 1709, he became the first person to smelt iron using coke as a fuel rather than charcoal, as was traditional.
This use of
coke proved to be one of the most important technological breakthroughs
ever discovered. At the time, there was a signific
ant fuel crisis in
Britain. Charcoal, which was made from timber, was the only source of
fuel used by the iron industry. This had resulted in large areas of
deforestation, because in order to fuel a single blast-furnace that
produces only a few tons of iron each day, several tons of timber was
needed.
The change from charcoal to coke meant that high-quality iron was available in quantities undreamt of when using the traditional method of charcoal smelting. It was this process that formed the basis of the industrial revolution that would transform Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The greatest memorial to Darby’s achievements is the Iron Bridge itself, perhaps the best known industrial monument in Britain.
The initial idea for the Iron Bridge came about in 1775, when a group of local businessmen met to discuss how communication between both sides of the river could be improved. The group was made up of Abraham Darby III, who became the treasurer of the project; John Wilkinson, an ironmaster; and Thomas Farnolls Pritchard, an architect from the nearby town of Shrewsbury. At the time, the nearest bridges were located at Bridgnorth and Buildwas.
The number of
trading vessels using the river as a means of transportation at the time
meant that the
need for a bridge with a single arch was paramount. It
was Pritchard who proposed a revolutionary iron structure that would
span 120ft and cost £33,200, a huge amount in those days.
Darby agreed to undertake the building and construction work. Casting and transporting the bridges components must have caused problems for them as each rib weighed 5 tons!
You would be forgiven for assuming that the aftermath of the Industrial Revolution would be a filthy, fiery trail of devastation. But, as you can see, the Ironbridge Gorge today is beautiful, and breathes an air of quiet, life-giving spirit. Here, nature has fought back and won.
During the lifetime of Abraham Darby III, Coalbrookdale was the most famous and successful industrial area in Great Britain. Engineers and investors of renown came to visit and stand and wonder. The whole area is now a prize-winning World Heritage Site and attracts visitors from across the globe.
Dotted about the landscape are nine fascinating museums, including the best known Victorian Town at Blists Hill, and Coalport China Museum.
reproduced courtesy of Ms A Price
