Ironbridge Gorge to become part of National Trust

From spring 2026 the National Trust will take on the care and management of the museums, buildings and monuments that represent the birthplace of the industrial revolution within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site in Shropshire.

The Ironbridge Gorge is widely regarded as the birthplace of the industrial revolution and the first iron bridge.

The site comprises of 10 museums, 35 buildings, many structures and over 4000,000 artefacts of international, national and local significance.

There is also Blists Hill Victorian Town where you can see the sights, sounds and buildings of 1900, while meeting people as they recreate and demonstrate trades and daily life of the time.

The ongoing tough economic and environmental challenges of the last five years have presented the Ironbridge Gorge government and funding bodies with the opportunity to come together to safeguard the museums and collections for future generations.

Once the National Trust takes on the management of the museums within the Ironbridge Gorge, members will be able to visit the sites for free as part of their membership.

The Trust’s long-term aspiration is to grow the number of people that visit Ironbridge Gorge’s museums annually from 330,000 to 600,000 visitors.

Given the site’s location National Trust will work to tackle the barriers that often prevent people from engaging with heritage such as cost, transport and understanding relevance. It will also continue and deepen the site’s strong appeal for families through events, programming and storytelling that bring its unique history to life.