Ironbridge museums get £10m due to pandemic and floods

The trust runs Blists Hill Victorian Town as well as nine other sites

A museums trust has been awarded almost £10m in funding to help it recover following the pandemic and floods.

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, which operates 10 sites, saw visitor numbers drop almost 75% in 2020.

The National Heritage Memorial Fund, which is providing the money via the government, said Covid-19 and recent flooding had a "catastrophic" impact on the Shropshire trust's finances.

The charity said it was "incredibly grateful" to receive the money.

The news comes weeks after flooding caused damage to the Museum of the Gorge and the recently refurbished Coalport China Museum.

The money will be used to carry out conservation and repair work to 49 historic buildings and structures across the Ironbridge UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Two of the trust's sites were damaged by flooding in February

These include:

• The Old Furnace at Coalbrookdale, dating back to 1658 and where, in 1709, Abraham Darby I successfully smelted iron using coke instead of charcoal, a catalyst for the Industrial Revolution.

• The Clock Tower, added to the Great Warehouse of the Coalbrookdale Company in 1843.

• Madeley Wood blast furnaces, built in 1757 to specifically smelt iron with coke.

• Grade II-listed Coalport China Works.

The Madeley Wood blast furnaces, also known as Bedlam Furnaces, will be among the buildings and structures to benefit from the funding

Dr Simon Thurley, chair of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, said: "The pandemic and severe flooding have had a catastrophic impact on the trust.

"This government grant of just under £10m, allocated by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, will stabilise important monuments and buildings at risk and secure their long-term future through an endowment."

Nick Ralls, chief executive of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, added: "As we emerge from the effects of the pandemic, we can address the backlog of maintenance and repair for some of the UK's most significant industrial heritage."