Iron Bridge (Ironbridge)
The Iron Bridge is a beautiful and historic bridge in the little Shropshire town of Ironbridge, to which it gave its name.
The bridge crosses the River Severn, which narrows here into a spectacular wooded gorge.
It was the first bridge in the world to be built wholly of iron, and an important factor in the 18th century Industrial Revolution.
The design was by the Shrewsbury architect Thomas Farnolls Pritchard, but he died before the project could be accomplished. Abraham Darby III of Coalbrookdale finally completed the bridge in 1778, using iron from his own foundry.
Darby used wood building techniques. No bolts were used, the sections being fitted together with dovetail and shoulder joints.
The bridge is 120 feet long, and the arch is almost semi-circular, rising 45 feet above the water. It was closed to traffic in 1934, and is now open to pedestrians only.
The whole of Ironbridge is now a World Heritage site, and the bridge itself is in the care of English Heritage.