The National Trust has taken over the Ironbridge Gorge Museums, the set of 10 attractions based in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, which focus on the area’s role at the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.

Located in Telford, Shropshire, and based around the Ironbridge Gorge, the museums include Blists Hill Victorian Town, Enginuity, the Coalport China Museum, and the Jackfield Tile Museum, among others. The museums have been popular with coach tourism and school groups for decades thanks to their appeal of living history combined with hands-on attractions.

Currently closed as part of the management transfer, the sites will reopen in phases, scheduled to begin at the end of April 2026.

The sites celebrate the area’s role in the Industrial Revolution, where the geology of coal, iron ore, and limestone, combined with its ideal position on the River Severn for supply and trade, along with a nucleus of innovative engineers and creators, saw several industrial breakthroughs. Most notably, smelting iron ore from coke enabled the development of the world’s first iron bridge in 1779, which gave the area its name.

The at-risk set of museums, which saw a fall in visitors post Covid and declining revenue combined with high costs in preservation, has been protected following transfer to The National Trust. Its previous owner, the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust, developed the sites and area since its inception in 1967. The National Trust has been able to take on the museums thanks to £9 million investment provided by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

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Image copyright Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust.