Ironbridge Gorge Museums

Not so much museums, more a living celebration of a whole area's proud history, the Ironbridge Gorge Museums are strung out along the beautiful wild River Severn.

The whole history of the industrial revolution is laid out here, from the gaslit showroom and elegant tiles of the Jackfield Tile Museum, to the towering structure of the iron bridge itself.

These are no stuffy everything-in-glass-cases institutions either. This is living history, with plenty of hands-on workshops and activites, and a working Victorian town which is always packed with local schoolkids.

"The shop is a treasure trove of Victoriana."