Government announces £9 million grant, enabling National Trust to secure future of museums within UNESCO World Heritage Site that attract 330,000 visitors annually
- Move is latest part of government's Plan for Change to help boost the local economy, safeguard jobs and create opportunity in the Shropshire area
The birthplace of the Industrial Revolution is to be saved and kept open for future generations, following a £9 million government grant announced today.
The funding will enable the transfer of the Ironbridge Gorge museums to the National Trust, securing the future of this internationally significant heritage site and ensuring continued access to Britain's industrial heritage for hundreds of thousands of annual visitors.
The Ironbridge Gorge was designated as one of Britain's first UNESCO World Heritage Sites, recognising its pivotal role as the epicentre of 18th century world industrialisation. The site encompasses 10 museums and 35 listed heritage buildings and Scheduled Monuments, and showcases the engineering prowess of our ancestors. It attracts 330,000 visitors annually from the West Midlands, across the UK and beyond.
Attractions include Blists Hill Victorian Town, the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, and the Old Furnace. The museums on site serve as a valuable educational resource for schoolchildren whilst offering families an engaging historical experience. The tourism generated also supports local businesses including pubs, restaurants, hotels and shops, providing employment throughout the area.
The transfer of the sites to the National Trust will mean that the museums on site benefit from the strength of the National Trust's brand and its large membership base. Combined with government investment, this transition aims to enhance the museums' success and draw even greater numbers of visitors to discover Shropshire's contribution to the Industrial Revolution.
This intervention is the latest step of the government's Plan for Change, ensuring that the site continues to boost the local economy through increased tourism and employment, as well as opening up valuable opportunities for the local community to connect with their heritage.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said:
As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, it is absolutely vital that the museums in the Ironbridge Gorge are protected as a key heritage asset in this country and a significant contributor to jobs and the economy in the Shropshire area. The Gorge is rich with the history of ingenious Britons who designed and constructed so many iconic pieces of engineering - from steam engines to iron boats.
I have every confidence that this government support will help the National Trust take this area from strength to strength. It will mean it can be enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors for generations, whilst providing children with opportunities to connect with their local heritage as we embark on our plan of national renewal.
This £9 million grant represents a contribution towards the total sum required by the National Trust to ensure the museum's long-term security and maintain its status as a unique visitor attraction.
Hilary McGrady, Director General of the National Trust, said:
The Ironbridge Gorge is widely regarded as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, which paved the way for the scientific and technological innovation that defines our world today. The site is an example of British ingenuity, a source of immense national and community pride and a distinct and much-loved icon of our shared heritage. I cannot think of something more at home in the National Trust's care - an institution built to protect and preserve the things our nation loves on behalf of everyone, everywhere.
It's a privilege to be able to work with DCMS and with the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, which has looked after the site and its collection with care and dedication for many decades, on this next chapter in the Ironbridge Gorge's amazing history. Finally, I'd like to say thank you to Arts Council England, Historic England, and National Lottery Heritage Fund for their support in helping secure a sustainable long-term future for the buildings, monuments and collection within Ironbridge Gorge.
Mark Pemberton, Chairman to the Board of Trustees of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust said:
We are incredibly pleased to have secured the long-term future of the Museum by its transfer to the National Trust. The £9 million investment by DCMS is recognition of the global significance and national importance of Ironbridge.
Ironbridge was important as the birthplace of industry and now as a major tourist destination it plays a part in the success of the local economy.
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said:
On behalf of Historic England I am delighted that the National Trust is stepping up, with support from DCMS, to take on Ironbridge, the cradle of the industrial revolution with many remarkable survivals from the late eighteenth century onwards. It is such an important part of this country's heritage, and contributes significantly to the local and regional economy. We are very grateful to the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust for all the work and care they have put into keeping the site safe for the nation over the years, and look forward to helping play our part in helping it to thrive in the future.
This announcement follows a series of government interventions to support the heritage and museum sectors through the Arts Everywhere Fund, which includes the £15 million Heritage at Risk Capital Fund supporting 37 at-risk heritage sites, and the £20 million Museum Renewal Fund supporting 75 cherished local museums to remain open to the public and continue providing learning opportunities for children nationwide.
Notes:
The National Trust
The National Trust is an independent conservation charity founded in 1895 by three people: Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley, who saw the importance of the nation's heritage and open spaces and wanted to preserve them for everyone to enjoy. Today, across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we continue to look after places so people and nature can thrive.
We care for more than 250,000 hectares of countryside, 890 miles of coastline, 1 million collection items and 500 historic properties, gardens and nature reserves. In 2023/24 we received 25 million visitors to our pay for entry sites. The National Trust is for everyone - we were founded for the benefit of the whole nation, and our 5.4 million members, funders and donors, and tens of thousands of volunteers support our work to care for nature, beauty, history for everyone, for ever.
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is an education and heritage conservation charity that cares for 10 museums and 35 listed buildings and Scheduled Monuments in the Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to one of the most significant industrial heritage collections in the UK. Its Nationally Designated collection includes more than 400,000 objects, representing a rich and unique record of Britain's industrial past.
