Photographs of Coalbrookdale

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Coalbrookdale is a village in the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire. This is where iron ore was first smelted by Abraham Darby using easily mined "coking coal". The coal was drawn from drift mines in the sides of the valley. As it contained far fewer impurities than normal coal, the iron it produced was of a superior quality. Along with many other industrial developments that were going on in other parts of the country, this discovery was a major factor in the growing industrialisation of Britain, which was to become known as the Industrial Revolution.
An iron making forge existed in Coalbrookdale based on charcoal before the reformation and continued almost continuously until 1709 when Abraham Darby I rebuilt Coalbrookdale Furnace using coke as his fuel. His business was that of an ironfounder, making cast-iron pots and other goods, an activity in which he was particularly successful because of his patented foundry method, which enabled him to produce cheaper pots than his rivals.