Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust

Great place to visit, all the museums including blist hill, would recommend the yearly passport which allows you to visit any of the museums over a 12month period, as you cant sell all in just one day, see my full review http://www.kevinsimon.co.uk/?p=609

Apart from all the rain, we had a good day in Ironbridge! The address given here is only one location as Ironbridge Gorge Museums have a total of 10 different visitor museums. All of them pretty reasonably priced from around £2 each to just over £6 each. There are family tickets available as well as combined tickets for visits to all of the museums. All tickets are valid for unlimited trips within 12 months of purchase. Under 5’s go free to all museums and there are also discounts for over 60’s.
We only visited two of the sites, one was the Gorge Museum which was quite interesting with the history of Ironbridge and the other was the Tar Tunnel where you can walk through part of the tunnel. That was ok but, apart from the small shop, that’s all that is at that site.
We walked across the iron bridge which is a beautiful site in itself. The museums are fairly close to each other and there are also a couple of other places such as a teddy bear museum, brewery and a few shops.
One thing I would suggest though is that if you’re going to be using cash, get it before you go because there are no banks and all the cash machines charge nearly £2 for withdrawals!

There is a charge for car parking but you pay for one ticket and you can use it at most of the museum car parks. There is also plenty of extra long and short stay parking which is quite cheap.

Ironbridge Gorge Museums are fab. There are different types of museums so everyone is catered for. You can buy individual tickets for any of the museums or combined passes which are valid for a year. These are great value for money especially as there are so many museums covered by them and you cannot possibly do them all in a day.

The Victorian Village is by far our favourite of the museums but we also enjoy Enginuity, Tile Museum and the Tar Tunnel!

There is really something for every interest and taste here. Worth spending time going to each one properly, as they offer so many interesting experiences. Really good value and educational interest- a brilliant insight into the area’s heritage. Highlights include the tile museum!

There is something for everyone in this area. A group of several museums on different subjects - tiles, pottery, Victorian life etc. have collaborated to provide a tourist experience that can last several days. You buy a 'passport’ which allows you entry to any of the attractions and then you can visit each one when you wish - and the passport has no expiry date.
We visited with two children - aged 5 and 9. They enjoyed the magnificent Brunel bridge with the view down the river and gorge, as well as the museum close by with its model of the gorge. We all had a lot of fun at the hands-on science centre a short drive away and finished up with a day at Blists hill - a recreated Victorian setting.

The Blists Hill Victorian museum recreates a working Victorian village on this site in Ironbridge.

A lot of the buildings have been moved brick by brick to their new location including the chemist and the Forrest Glenn pavilion.

When you enter through the eighties looking visitor centre, you are immediately in another time.

You can exchange your money for LSD coinage (that’s Pounds, Shillings and Pence) which you can then spend in the shops.

The chemist is a Bates & Hunt (i can still remember when they had a chemist in Wellington) and provides a fascinating insight into what life was like - have a look at the posters for some of the more sinister aspects, along with the barbers chair - complete with worn arm rest from where people would have gripped it.

The printers shop is another marvel - it’s amazing to see what we have today, compared to what was used in the 19th century, unfortunately its always been closed whenever i’ve visited.

They have a new steam powered lift to the mine which sounds very much like the Tardis - i’m wondering if a similar device was the inspiration behind the BBC sound effect workshop.

Even if you’ve been before then museum is worth going to again as you will always see something new.