Conserving the Historic Estate Project - Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust have embarked on a three-year programme, Conserving the Historic Estate (CHE), to repair some 49 buildings.

Work ranges from removing vegetation and external redecoration to re-roofing and stabilisation works. As Architect for the CHE programme, we are working with The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust to bring the heritage assets into a good state of repair and provide a sound base for future maintenance.

The project focuses on the heritage buildings in their original context/environment within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site. 

The main cluster of buildings and structures can be found at Coalbrookdale, Coalport, Jackfield and Blists Hill (Madeley) and there are a number of structures and monuments situated throughout the Gorge including five Scheduled Monuments, one Grade ! Listed structure, 10 Grade II* listed structures and 19 Grade II listed structures all within an area of 5.5km2.

The buildings of specific interest are:

• Old Furnace at Coalbrookdale where Abraham Darby I developed the production technique for smelting iron with coke, beginning the 18th century iron revolution
• The Hay Inclined Plane which connected the Shropshire canal to the Coalport Canal and the River Severn
  
• Bedlam Furnaces, the remains of two 18th century blast furnaces built in 1757
• Coalport China Works which is specifically included in the UNESCO citation as one of five features of particular interest