Ironbridge museum closed for more than a year reopens after essential conservation work

Ironbridge's Museum of the Gorge, originally 'The Severn Warehouse', is now open following eight months of conservation work.

Sitting on the bank of the River Severn, the Grade II-listed gothic-style building was built around 1840 to transport goods from Ironbridge down to Bristol – and then across the globe.

Over the last few years, the building has undergone several major repairs. In 2021, Historic England paid for urgent repair to the roof of the museum to prevent rain ingress.

In 2023, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, a fund created to safeguard nationally important heritage following the years of disruption due to the pandemic, funded substantial maintenance work including replacing valley gutters that are hidden from view.

With the support of other generous benefactors, the pitched roof of the Lady Chapel has been reinstated, and replicas of the ornate chimney pots which once crowned the building’s towers have been installed.

The building has also been stripped back, with original bricks now laid bare - revealing the bare bones of this important industrial building.

An exhibit with information about the latest conservation work is also now on display, with a panel addressing the subject of flooding at the museum and more widely in the Ironbridge Gorge.

Visitors will also be able to see a small display of reproductions of historic maps of Shropshire from the Patricia Bracegirdle Collection, which show the development of the county, its transport systems and its towns during the Industrial Revolution.

Nick Ralls, CEO of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome visitors back to the Museum of the Gorge after a year of closure.

"In recent years, the Museum of the Gorge has been the first place many tourists go when they arrive in the Ironbridge Gorge to find out about the unique UNESCO World Heritage Site they are about to visit.

“We are grateful for the NHMF funding that enabled us to carry out essential conservation work and to Historic England and the other generous benefactors who have contributed to the building’s conservation. We look forward to being able to begin the next phase of work.”