Conserving the Historic Estate Project
We have a large estate of internationally important heritage buildings that require regular maintenance and repair. We needed to better understand the condition of our estate and commissioned a Quinquennial Review from Oliver Architecture in 2021. This review allowed us to identify a programme of maintenance and repair work for our most important heritage assets.
To carry out the repair programme we bid for additional funding and in 2022, we were successful in securing £5.5 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF).
This funding has allowed us to start on a three year programme, Conserving the Historic Estate (CHE), to repair some 35 buildings, with work ranging from removing vegetation and external redecoration to re-roofing and stabilisation works.
We have brought together a dedicated project team to manage and deliver the CHE project. We have also been able to recruit a project maintenance team to undertake some of the work which will build capacity and develop skills which will have a long term benefit for the Museum.
The CHE project will bring the heritage assets into a good state of repair and provide a sound base for future maintenance.
Of particular importance are:
- Old Furnace at Coalbrookdale where Abraham Darby I developed the production technique for smelting iron with coke, beginning the 18th century iron revolution
- the spectacular Hay Inclined Plane which connected the Shropshire canal to the Coalport Canal and the River Severn
- Bedlam Furnaces, the remains of two 18th century blast furnaces built in 1757
- Coalport China Works which is specifically included in the UNESCO citation as one of five features of particular interest
We were also successful in securing a further £4.5 million from NHMF for an endowment to generate income for ongoing maintenance beyond the three years of CHE project.
the hay inclineD plane
Work is currently being carried out to repair and conserve this Scheduled Ancient Monument at Blists Hill Victorian Town. Over the next few months from 14 May 2024, we will be clearing vegetation and removing self-seeded trees within the canal basin, cleaning graffiti, and removing the failing concrete capping, replacing it with soft turf capping. We will also repair and repoint the Winding House, Dock, and bridge over the Silkin Way. The visitor steps to the top of the Incline will be repaired and a new handrail installed.
Image shows the Hay Inclined Plane in 1968.
THE IRON BRIDGE TOLLHOUSE
Work is currently taking place at the Iron Bridge Tollhouse, where we are redecorating the doors and windows, replacing roof tiles and re-pointing brick work. The Tollhouse remains open to the public as usual.
COALBROOKDALE MUSEUM OF IRON
In October 2024, conservation work begins at Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron.
We will begin by repairing the wooden structure of the museum’s iconic clocktower, before redecorating the clocktower and the clockface. The surrounding panels will be weather proofed, as will the clocktower base coverings, which will be replaced with durable lead.
On the roof we will replace disintegrating concrete ridge tiles and vents with new lead ones and replace valley and parapet gutter linings with durable terne-coated stainless steel.
The cast iron rainwater goods, window heads and sills will be overhauled and redecorated. The exterior of the building will be fully redecorated and the brickwork, copings, parapets and wall heads will be repointed.
These works will make the building weatherproof in the face of increasing heavy rainfall and by using durable materials will reduce maintenance costs in the future.
Image shows the clocktower c. 1979.
THE LONG WAREHOUSE
Once the conservation work at Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron has been completed, we will begin working at the Long Warehouse.
We will re-roof the Long Warehouse building and replace the lantern roof with one in terne-coated stainless steel. We will renew the gutter linings, flashings and weatherings to the rear parapet of the Long Warehouse and on the North Lights building behind it.
We will replace defective fascia boards and repair and repaint the cast iron rainwater goods. The whole exterior of the building will be redecorated using a decorative scheme based on colours used in the 1880s.
Image shows the Long Warehouse in 1982.
SWIFTS, HOUSE MARTINS & BATS AT THE LONG WAREHOUSE
At the Long Warehouse we are pleased to host swifts, house martins and bats inside the building.
Swifts and house martins nest under the eaves of the front facing the car park. Arriving from Africa in May, the swifts can be heard screeching and seen wheeling overhead, a sign that summer is nearly upon us. They leave again in August. The swifts nest in crevices in the brickwork under the rafters and over the top of the wall. Nests here number in the teens, with 2-3 eggs per nest. House martins, with their distinctive white rump, build cup-shaped nests from mud.
In addition, we have summer day roosts of common pipistrelle and brown long-eared bats.
For multiple reasons, these building renovation works are complex and challenging; we must factor in meeting the building conservation needs of a Grade II listed building in a World Heritage Site as well as modern building standards.
The renovations have been designed to retain all the crevices used by the birds for nesting. By May the works on the roof facing the car park are scheduled to be completed, the upper scaffolding altered and the upper debris netting removed, which will allow the birds access to nest. The building conservation works will then continue at the lower levels and on the remainder of the warehouse, avoiding disturbance to the nests.
Swift nest boxes will be fixed to the building to provide additional opportunities, though the swifts currently do not use all the existing suitable crevices. Bat access tiles will be included in the new roof so bats can also continue to live here.
THE DARBY HOUSES
The conservation work at the Darby Houses will focus on external repairs to address the poor state of decoration and leaks in the roof.
We will be removing vegetation and repointing open masonry joints. On the roof we will replace defective tiles and relay sections.
Areas of lead work will be repaired, redressed and where necessary replaced. Gutters will be cleared of debris and redecorated, or replaced as needed.
Windows and door surrounds will be redecorated, and the external walls of Rosehill House will be repainted.
This work will ensure the buildings are protected from elements and are watertight for many years to come.
The heritage assets
The project focuses on the heritage buildings in our care, in their original context/environment within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.
The main concentration of buildings and structures are to be found at Coalbrookdale, Coalport, Jackfield and Blists Hill (Madeley) but there are several structures and monuments situated throughout the Gorge including five Scheduled Monuments, one Grade 1 Listed structure, 10 Grade II* Listed structures and 19 Grade II Listed structures all within an area of 5.5km2.
Get involved
If you are interested in learning more about our project and how we will be working to repair these important buildings please get in touch with us.
We are also very keen to hear from anyone who would like to volunteer to help us look after these fabulous buildings. If you would like to get involved please send us a message.
See the Completed Projects tab for information about specific projects.
Find out more about the projects we've completed as part of the Conserving the Historic Estate project, a 3-year programme funded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
This page will be updated as more projects are added.
SHELTON TOLLHOUSE, BLISTS HILL VICTORIAN TOWN
We began work at the Shelton Tollhouse, one of the buildings at Blists Hill Victorian Town, on Monday 12 June, 2023.
The work saw the restoration of all of the external soffits, roof repairs and vegetation removal alongside the fitting of cast-iron guttering around the building. At the same time the interior was fully redecorated.
This building was originally a tollhouse located in Shelton, Shrewsbury on the Holyhead Road (now the A5), which was the major route to Ireland from London. It was designed by Thomas Telford (1757-1834) and built in 1829.
We believe it was used as a toll house until the 1880s, when it became a family home. It was the first historic building to be acquired by the Museum and was rebuilt at Blists Hill Victorian Town in 1973.
MUSEUM OF THE GORGE
In September 2023 we completed external repairs to the Museum of the Gorge. This involved repairs to the roof, including replacement of valley gutters, and rebuilding the pitched roof on the ‘Lady Chapel’ office. Thanks to additional fundraising, we were also able to commission and install replicas of the ornate chimney pots.
The building re-opened to the public on 31 January 2024. It serves as an information point for visitors to the Ironbridge Gorge and there is a display about the building’s history and the work that has taken place. During 2024 we will be developing plans for a full internal refurbishment with the aim of creating a visitor centre for the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
boy and swan fountain
The Boy and Swan Fountain, situated on the green at Coalbrookdale, underwent extensive conservation repair during 2023. The metal work was repaired and repainted to protect it for the next 10 years.
Cast by the Coalbrookdale Company in 1851 for the Great Exhibition where it stood in a prominent position in front of the gates which separate Hyde Park from Kensington Gardens, the Boy and Swan eventually returned to Coalbrookdale and was re-erected opposite the Old Furnace.
The fountain was reinstalled in the summer and will be switched back on in spring 2024.
buildings at blists hill victorian town
St Chads Mission Church has been fully restored and repainted to bring it back to its 1900s glory.
The Shelton Toll House has undergone repairs. This included reinstating the soffits and fascia boards that had been lost. New guttering has been installed and the interior has been redecorated. A small lean-to has been built to the rear to protect the laundry area.
External repairs have been completed on the School, with slipped tiles replaced, windows repainted and rainwater goods restored. The school gates are currently undergoing restoration and we will redecorate the interior in January 2024.
The Forest Glen pavilion has been redecorated and the lettering to the roof restored. The roof required a lot of moss clearance and vegetation removal. The interior was also cleaned, which highlighted the painted ivy decoration on the pillars.
The Estate Office building has been redecorated and roof repairs carried out. The railings are being restored off site and we will carry out internal redecoration in 2024.
Across the Blists Hill estate gutter clearing has also been carried out which will help to prevent further rainwater damage to vulnerable buildings. The project team has been using a special gutter vacuum to do this work.
current projects
The project team are now working on Broseley Pipe Works, to restore and conserve the woodwork and repair the roof without impacting on the unique character of the site.
The team will also continue to work on the buildings as Blists Hill most in need of repair.
During 2024 we plan to start conservation work at some of our most iconic sites: the Hay Incline Plane at Blists Hill, the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and the Long Warehouse at Coalbrookdale.
