![]() The Bridge was promoted by the 18th century equivalent of a media campaign. The building of the bridge was partly a public relations exercise, advertising the versatility of cast iron and the skills of Abraham Darby III and his Coalbrookdale Company, and the site chosen was also the most dramatic part of the Gorge. The proposal for a new bridge was inevitable, and Abraham Darby III, the ironmaster, was commissioned to build it. The river was often too shallow in summer and in winter was too swift and high, so industry was often at the mercy of the river. The only other crossing was the medieval Buildwas Bridge, 3km upstream. They were essential for transporting raw materials across the river to the ironworks and other industries in the valley. By the 1750s, six or more ferry crossings operated in as many miles. In 1758, 400 vessels were trading between Gloucester and Welshpool, and within fifty years this number had doubled. In 1787 John Wilkinson launched on the Severn an iron barge, the first of many local associations with iron ships. In 1729 iron wheels for railway wagons were cast at Coalbrookdale. From the 1720s iron cylinders were supplied for steam engines. The Darbys and other ironmasters fostered a remarkable series of innovations in the use of iron. The expansion of the local iron trade began in 1755 with the construction of a blast furnace at Horsehay by Darby’s son, the second Abraham. This was a momentous development which ultimately made possible a vast increase in iron production in Britain, a part of that series of dramatic changes which historians have called the Industrial Revolution. In 1708 the blast furnace in Coalbrookdale was leased by Abraham Darby, a Quaker pot founder, who began to make iron there in 1709 using coke as his fuel instead of the customary charcoal. All employed water power to work their bellows and used charcoal as their fuel. By 1700 there were several furnaces and forges in the area. Human skills were added to the mineral resources of the district. ![]() Potters, salt boilers, tobacco pipe makers, lead smelters, glassmakers, blacksmiths, rope makers, coopers and basket makers made their homes along the slopes of the Gorge. ![]() After 1600, wooden railways were built to carry coal from the mines to the banks of the Severn. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I local landowners began to exploit coal on a large scale. The Ironbridge Gorge lies within the Coalbrookdale Coalfield, a region richly endowed with minerals, coal, iron ore, limestone, sand, and useful clays.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |