The world's first iron bridge was erected over the River Severn

The world's first iron bridge was erected over the River Severn at Coalbrookdale in 1779. This now world-famous industrial monument gave its name to the Town.

Ironbridge was used as the name for the town and gorge now recognised as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Abraham Darby , a local ironmaster, was commissioned to build the first iron bridge across the gorge so that raw materials and products could be transported across the river. Darby's Coalbrookdale Company adapted a design by Thomas Farnolls Pritchard, a Shrewsbury joiner turned architect. The iron beams were probably cast local to the bridge. The single arch enabled ships to sail uninterrupted up the river.