Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron clock chimes again following conservation work

The clock in the iconic clocktower at Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron will now chime again following conservation work on the building.

Since January, the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, a heritage conservation and education charity, has been carrying out conservation work, funded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, on Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and the Long Warehouse in Coalbrookdale.

On the Museum of Iron this has included replacing tiles on the roof, repointing brickwork and work on the Museum of Iron’s clocktower. Lead has been used to weatherproof the clocktower and the base of the tower has been re-tiled. Based on evidence of gilding beneath the previous layer of gold paint, the numbers and hands on the 1.54m diameter clockface have been gilded. The Trust has worked with Oliver Architecture to carry out the work.

Lucy Oldnall, Conserving the Historic Estate Project Manager, said: “The works we have carried out at Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron will ensure that the building will remain weatherproof in the face of increasing heavy rainfall in the Ironbridge Gorge. By using durable materials we have also reduced maintenance costs in the future. We are delighted to complete the work and for local people to be able to enjoy the chimes of the museum’s iconic bell once again.”

The work is part of the Conserving the Historic Estate project, a three-year programme of repair and conservation to some 35 internationally important heritage buildings and monuments in the care of the Trust. The work is being funded by £5.5 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund to counter long-term impacts of the pandemic as part of the Cultural Assets Fund. The aim of the Cultural Assets Fund is to safeguard nationally important heritage following the years of disruption due to Covid-19.

Now that the work is complete the bell in the historic clocktower will be set to chime between the hours of 9am and 5pm daily.

For more information about the project, go to the dedicated page on our website.