Telford
- Maximus Nostramabus
- Aug 21, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Symbol of industrial revolution - Ironbridge Gorge 371
What and Why
By today's standard, the Ironbridge is now derelict and the bridge is nothing impressive . However ever since its heyday, it has carried the accolade of being the first iron bridge in the world. The bridge runs over the deep River Severn, where the deep exposure of the rocks cut through by the gorge exposed commercial deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and fireclay, which enabled the rapid economic development of the area during the early Industrial Revolution, especially in the region where iron is produced. The nearby works of Abraham Darby I had already revolutionised iron production by using coke instead of charcoal for smelting iron. This particular innovation made large-scale iron production economically viable. As a result more than a quarter of the iron of England came from the area alone and so was many industrial innovations, as a result of the iron production.
By the 1770s, the region needed a more reliable crossing over the Severn to facilitate trade. The idea emerged: why not build the bridge itself out of iron, the very material the region was producing? The project was then championed by local industrialists and designed by architect Thomas Pritchard and then followed by Abraham Darby III after Pritchard's death. The bridge not only helped transportation across the river, but it enhanced the use of the deep river which allowed easy transport of products to the sea. This bridge, built and completed in 1779 and was the first bridge in the world, to be made entirely of cast iron.
In spite of the massive cost over-run, the revolution is profound: while it merely spans 30 m, and it was by no means the largest nor the longest during the time, it demonstrated that cast iron could be used structurally at scale. It also proved iron could replace stone and timber in major infrastructure and eventually became a proof of concept that would define 19th-century industrial infrastructural expansion: railways, ships, buildings and later skyscrapers. It hence symbolises the Industrial Revolution and the gorge is sometimes referred to the birthplace of Industrial Revolution.
Toponymy
Self-explanatory.
The city Telford is named after the famous civil engineer Thomas Telford.
See
Ironbridge
Honestly there is nothing to see and it is one of those UNESCO WHS that I said 'DUH' after I reached the place, in spite of its significant importance in history. There is this tiny bridge and the river gorge and that is about it. Both the natural landscape and the town are uninteresting, in spite of my interest towards the Industrial Revolution. For information, we are now in the Fourth Industrial Revolution:
First Industrial Revolution: the transition to new manufacturing processes in Europe and America, from the 18th to mid-19th century. This transition included going from hand production methods to machines, the increasing use of steam power and water power, the development of machine tools and the rise of the mechanised factory system. The Industrial Revolution also led to an unprecedented rise in the rate of population growth.
Second Industrial Revolution or Technological Revolution: a phase of rapid industrialisation from the late 19th to the early 20th century where new technological systems were introduced, most significantly electrical power and telephones. The Second Industrial Revolution continued into the 20th century with early factory electrification and the production line.
Third Industrial Revolution or Digital Revolution: the shift from mechanical and analogue electronic technology to digital electronics which began anywhere from the late 1950s to the late 1970s with the adoption and proliferation of digital computers.
Fourth Industrial Revolution or IR4.0: the concept of factories in which machines are augmented with wireless connectivity and sensors, connected to a system that can visualise the entire production line, control, and make decisions on its own. In essence, Industry 4.0 describes the trend towards automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies and processes which include cyber-physical systems (CPS), the internet of things (IoT), cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI).
Interestingly, since cast iron is strong in compression but weak in tension and brittle under stress, over time, the bridge developed cracks due to ground movement and structural strain, which was not understood at all during its construction. Today it is preserved primarily as a pedestrian monument rather than a major transportation crossing. It had served its time but its survival is remarkable considering it was a bit part experimental engineering.
Museum of the Gorge
Museum of the Gorge, Ironbridge: Not the most interesting museum originally the Severn Warehouse, considering the historic importance of the Industrial Revolution. The centrepiece of the museum is a large (but cheesy) diorama. This represents the whole of the Gorge, as it was at its industrial height.
Travel Suggestions and Logistics
In spite of the its prominence in transportation, the area is very inaccessible without a car, although the area is served by the National Rail at the Ironbridge station. I shall be surprised if you can spend more than an hour around the area.
UNESCO Inscription
Ironbridge is known throughout the world as the symbol of the Industrial Revolution. It contains all the elements of progress that contributed to the rapid development of this industrial region in the 18th century, from the mines themselves to the railway lines. Nearby, the blast furnace of Coalbrookdale, built in 1708, is a reminder of the discovery of coke. The bridge at Ironbridge, the world's first bridge constructed of iron, had a considerable influence on developments in the fields of technology and architecture.
References
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