Conserving the Historic Estate (CHE)
Client: Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust (IGMT)
Role: Lead Architect
Location: Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire
Status: Ongoing (2023–2026)
Ironbridge Gorge – Conserving the Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution
The Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site is internationally recognised as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Within this remarkable landscape, the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust (IGMT) cares for a collection of heritage buildings ranging from furnaces to workers’ housing, with each telling a story of industrial innovation and social change.
In 2021, Oliver Architecture completed a Quinquennial Review of 52 heritage assets across the historic estate. This survey provided a clear picture of condition and repair needs, which in turn established the foundation for the Conserving the Historic Estate (CHE) project. Supported by a £5.5 million grant from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, the three-year programme focuses on essential repairs to 49 buildings, which will secure their long-term preservation and use.
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Conservation work is wide-ranging. At the Coalbrookdale Old Furnace, the Hay Inclined Plane, Bedlam Furnaces and Coalport China Works, invasive vegetation has been removed, masonry stabilised, and roofs and structures repaired to protect against further decay. At the Long Warehouse, a major programme of re-roofing is underway, with the lantern roof renewed in terne-coated stainless steel and the external decoration restored to the colour scheme of the 1880s. Wildlife conservation has also been integrated seemlessley throughout the project, with new measures to safeguard swifts, house martins and bats that all inhabit the historic buildings.
Other key projects include the Iron Bridge Tollhouse, where roof tiles are being replaced and brickwork repointed while the building remains open to the public, and the Darby Houses, where external repairs address water ingress and weathering. These interventions will reduce future maintenance demands while protecting the character of the historic estate.
Other key projects include the Iron Bridge Tollhouse, where roof tiles are being replaced and brickwork repointed while the building remains open to the public, and the Darby Houses, where external repairs address water ingress and weathering. These interventions will reduce future maintenance demands while protecting the character of the historic estate.
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The CHE programme is supported by a dedicated team of conservation professionals and maintenance staff, building local skills and ensuring that knowledge is embedded for the long term, ensuring sustainability. A further £4.5 million endowment from NHMF has been secured to fund ongoing stewardship once the project is complete.
Through careful planning and sensitive repair, Oliver Architecture and IGMT are working together to safeguard the rich industrial heritage of Ironbridge Gorge and ensuring that these nationally significant buildings continue to be enjoyed by future generations.
Through careful planning and sensitive repair, Oliver Architecture and IGMT are working together to safeguard the rich industrial heritage of Ironbridge Gorge and ensuring that these nationally significant buildings continue to be enjoyed by future generations.