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The Great Britain Guide

UNESCO World Heritage · West Midlands

Ironbridge: where the Industrial Revolution began

The world's first iron bridge and ten miles of foundry heritage in the Severn Gorge.

The Iron Bridge across the Severn Gorge in Shropshire was opened in 1781 — the world's first cast-iron arch bridge, and the symbolic birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. The whole gorge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with ten museums covering iron, china, tile and Victorian everyday life. It deserves two unhurried days.

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