I visited Ironbridge with my grandparents in August 2013. Although there are something like 14 distinct things to see/museums in the vicinity, the eponymous Iron Bridge is the focal point. Whilst it isn’t particularly impressive when compared to modern bridges like Millau, at the time it was groundbreaking.

The bridge served two purposes: one, of course, was as a means of crossing the River Severn. This was an important thing for the town as it was at the epicentre of the early Industrial Revolution and was rapidly ramping up production of cast iron for export throughout the country and across the world. The second use of the bridge, however, was to serve as an audacious advert for the load-bearing properties of Shropshire steel. Anybody who didn’t believe the early claims of the steel barons had only to come to Ironbridge and see it himself.

Elsewhere in the vicinity of Ironbridge there are museums such as Blists Hill Victorian Town Be warned – the museums are not free like in Blaenavon. It costs £8.25 to get into the China museum, for example, and a pass to all the museums is £24!

The bridge is free, of course, and I satisfied myself by also visiting the Tar Tunnel (£3). This is a 3000 foot, 225 year old tunnel dug into the hillside by miners who struck natural bitumen. You can go about 50 metres into it, and see for yourself the tar oozing through the walls.