Blists Hill Victorian Town
Time travel - Step back and experience the sights, sounds and smells of Victorian life
Join in and bring history to life
Step back to a time & place where traditional life and industry sat side by side at the dawn of the modern age.
Visit Victorian shops and cottages, taste authentic food & sweets and join craftspeople demonstrating their trades in our recreated working town.
Visitor information
The following facilities and rules apply at this attraction:
AMAZING DEMONSTRATIONS
- Exchange your modern money in the Bank for Pounds, Shillings and Pence
- Check out the weird Victorian remedies at the Pharmacy
- Discover why you wouldn't want to be caught with green candles at home
- See our amazing printing presses in action
- Climb aboard our little train and head in to the Blists Hill Mine
FUN GAMES & AMUSEMENTS
- Ride the old-fashioned fairground or play games of skill
- Try your luck on the Coconut Shy
- Let off some steam at the awesome Outdoor Adventure
- Dress-up for a portrait in our Victorian Photographic Studio
- Take a Horsebus ride around the Upper Town
(Some activities are seasonal, please check for details)
GO ON... TREAT YOURSELF!
You'll not go hungry at Blists Hill Victorian Town
- Enjoy a bag of Fish and Chips cooked the traditional way in beef dripping (vegan option available)
- Bag a sweet (or two) from our 19th Century selection
- Grab a snack from one of our eating places
- Bring a picnic and enjoy the atmosphere on the Green or the fun at the Outdoor Adventure - there are benches at both locations
VISITOR INFORMATION:
Click here to find out more about the projects we're currently undertaking as part of the Conserving the Historic Estate project, a 3-year programme funded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, at Blists Hill Victorian Town.
Activities vary from day to day and some carry additional charges.
PLEASE NOTE - The Forest Glen will temporarily close from Monday 6 November for two weeks. It will reopen on Saturday 18 November.
For more details contact us on 01952 433 424.
Let us help plan your visit
To help you get the most out of your visit to Ironbridge Valley of Invention, we’ve created three tailored itineraries to ensure you have the best experience of our sites in the Ironbridge Gorge.
INTRODUCING IRONBRIDGE
Discover the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site
GET INVOLVED
Hands-on fun and interactive experiences
BE INSPIRED
Explore our awe-inspiring collections
DISCOVER INNOVATION
Step in to the historical heart of Ironbridge
Opening times
| Dates | Opening times |
|---|---|
| 6th Nov – 23rd Dec 2023 | Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-4pm |
| 27th Dec 2023 – 7th Jan 2024 | Monday to Sunday, 10am-4pm |
| 8th – 21st Jan 2024 | Closed |
| 22nd Jan – 11th Feb 2024 | Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-4pm |
All museums are closed 24, 25 & 26 December.
See our opening times page for other attraction times.
Directions
The postcode for Blists Hill Victorian Town is TF7 5UD
See our directions page for further details.
Blists Hill Victorian Town is our largest attraction, and we recommend you allow at least 3 hours to see everything. You can pick up a free attraction map on the day, or download it to help you plan your trip before you arrive.
- Attraction Map (PDF)
- Disabled Access Guide (PDF)
You can find further information on the FAQs tab.
Have you visited yet?
We've created an amazing family attraction in the woodlands at Blists Hill Victorian Town. The Madeley Wood Company Outdoor Adventure, named after the company that historically ran mine operations on the site, is Shropshire's hottest open-air adventure space.
The Outdoor Adventure features elevated walks above the woodland floor, a log-style basket swing, seesaw and lookout tower with a coal chute slide. Built among trees and inspired by the area’s rich mining past, the Outdoor Adventure also features wheelchair-accessible multi-level themed buildings, immersive play areas and a toddler zone with a faux mine-cart track, play buildings, a slide and miniature zip-line.
Families can get refreshments from our food and drink kiosk with a covered seating area.
Admission to the Madeley Wood Company Outdoor Adventure is included in our popular PASS and PASS PLUS meaning families can come back again and again for 12 months!
partytime!
You can now book exclusive use of the Madeley Wood Co. Outdoor Adventure for a child's birthday party or other celebration.
Exclusive use is available daily from 9am-10.30am or 5.30pm-7pm for groups of up to 25 children. Minimum booking of 15 children, who must be accompanied by two adults for the duration of the party (included in booking). Additional children are charged at £15 each.
Hire costs from £200 and includes cold party food and unlimited squash & water. The Shepherd's Hut will be open during parties for adults to purchase hot & cold drinks and snacks.
For more information, or to book a party, email venuehire@ironbridge.org.uk
Click here to read our FAQs.
The New Inn Pub
A fully licensed period pub serving a range of beers, spirits and soft drinks. Open daily from 12pm until 4pm.
Forest Glen Refreshment Pavilion
Enjoy refreshments including 'chefs meal of the day', cakes and hot & cold drinks. Open 11am until 3pm.
Coffee Shop – Entrance Building
Café serving a range of hot & cold snacks and beverages. Open 10am until 4pm.
Wm Bates Fish & Chip Shop
Authentically prepared take-away Fish & Chips with vegan and gluten-free options. Open 11am until 3.30pm.
The Shepherd's Hut
Inside the Madeley Wood Co. Outdoor Adventure and open 11am-3pm.
Blists Hill Gift Shop
Showcasing the unique products that we make ourselves; from the cast iron that is made at our on site Foundry to items made in our Plasterers. We offer a range of products that you will find within the shops in the Victorian town as well as a range of souvenirs and gifts from local suppliers within Shropshire. The shop is open daily from 10am until 5pm and is accessible without paying admission to the museum.
The Bakery
Our Victorian Bakery sells delicious freshly-made bread, fruit buns, biscuits and shortbread. Fresh bread usually is ready for sale at around 12noon.
Annie Pritchard's Sweet Shop
Step inside our wonderland of treats - see jar upon jar of old favourites and listen to the sound of the boiled-sweets being weighed in the scales.
A.F. Blakemore & Son Grocers
Learn more about the importance of tea and why the Grocery Shop was one of the best places to work in the High Street.
Bates & Hunt Chemist Shop
There's so much to learn about the perils of everyday Victorian life here - from dangerous remedies to harmful beauty treatments.
John Edmunds Printers & Stationers
Our fully-operational Printing Shop is a wonder for the senses... the sounds, smells and sights of Victorian industry.