Vibrant furnace

Abraham Darby’s Old Furnace in Coalbrookdale is among 10 industry, trade and commerce places chosen in May by Tristram Hunt of the Victoria and Albert Museum for inclusion in Historic England’s campaign Irreplaceable: A History of England in 100 Places.
The campaign aims to find the 100 places that bring to life England’s rich and extraordinary history. The Old Furnace is widely regarded as the catalyst for the start of the Industrial Revolution, which transformed England and the world, and it was here that Abraham Darby I pioneered the method of smelting iron fuelled by coke (heated coal), rather than charcoal (heated wood), which meant high-quality iron could be produced on an industrial scale.