Photographs of Ironbridge

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Ironbridge is a village in Ironbridge Gorge (a deep gorge formed by the River Severn). It is the site of the famous Iron Bridge (the first of it's kind) built to link the towns of Broseley, Madeley and Coalbrookdale. In 1986 Ironbridge became part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (which covers the wider Ironbridge Gorge area) and is a major tourist attraction within Shropshire. The Merrythought teddy bear company (established in 1930) is still manufacturing in Ironbridge and has a small museum. Other museums include the the Jackfield Tile Museum, the Coalport China Museum, The Tar Tunnel, Blist Hill Victorian Town and Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron.
The Iron Bridge was the first arch bridge in the world to be made out of cast iron, a material which was previously far too expensive to use for large structures. Abraham Darby III, who was the grandson of the first foundry owner and an ironmaster working at Coalbrookdale in the gorge, was commissioned to cast and build the bridge. The iron for the new bridge was cast at his foundry in Coalbrookdale.