ROBIN WEAVER

landscape photographer

Ironbridge Gorge  - with its world famous bridge - is a spectacle in itself, but it also boasts no less than 10 fascinating museums.

Helen Werin and her family go for some historical and cultural overload - and explore what else the area has to offer...

 
A young Irish woman parked her huge ricketty pram in the middle of the dusty road and began handing out leaflets. "What do we want, ladies?" she cried. "The vote" came back the reply. Her golden-haired baby looked on bemusedly as, first, the village constable, then her 'drink-sodden' husband, appeared.
A little further up the street a giant of a town crier - all 7ft 2ins of him - called upon the people to congratulate the queen on her birthday, while demure ladies with parasols strolled arm in arm, passed by top-hatted men on penny farthing bicycles and people driving ponies and traps.
This was, after all, the day of Queen Victoria' s 'birthday' at Blists Hill Victorian Town, where you quite literally step, rather giddily, from the town of seemingly never-ending roundabouts that is Telford into a 19th century village scene populated by colourful characters in period costume.
The Americans and countless other visitors from overseas love all this quaintness and curiosity, of course, but we were mesmerised, too, as we ducked in and out of the shops and businesses along the High Street.
On the common, swing-boats, a coconut shy and a colourful carousel had plenty of customers and a queue of people eager to exchange their pennies for barley sugar and cough candy formed outside the sweetshop.
In the chemists, a large glass-fronted contraption on the counter offered to help my headaches - and a dozen other complaints too, including gout and toothache - with electric shock treatment.

So you can imagine that it was a bit of a shock to be jolted back to the real world. But not for long though, for within 10 minutes we were on our way to one of the other museums in and around the Severn gorge - and ready to be transported back into the past yet again.
Ironbridge gorge is, of course, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and the museums, many of which showcase a particular facet of life, history or industry, are a tribute to the tourism enterprise.
It was here that the great Quaker ironmaster, Abraham Darby the First, discovered the secret of smelting iron with cheap and plentiful coke instead of expensive charcoal.
It’s probably best to start your journey of discovery at either end of the tourist trail and then work your way along, passing the landmark bridge - opened on New Years Day 1781 - somewhere in the middle.

But we began at Enginuity, which stands next to the Museum of the Gorge at the Coalbrookdale end - simply because five-year-old Sophie had spotted all the gizmos inside.
Enguinity calls itself a design and technology centre that enables visitors to become apprentice engineers for a while. Well, if this is the sort of fun apprentices have, then count me in! I certainly learnt more about scientific and engineering principles in half a day than six years in high school - and had so much fun doing so. We nearly fell over laughing at our attempts to build a self-supporting bridge out of large, soft bricks and spent ages trying
to perfect a roller coaster ride by altering its speed, gravity and resistance. There's loads of hands-on activities and buttons to press here, the centrepiece of which is an intricate waterway where you have to work as a team operating the dam, controlling the flow of water to generate electricity or flooding the surrounding villages. It's also probably the only place you're every likely to pull a five ton loco - albeit using a wheel.and gears system.

Next stop were the elegant Darby Houses, where we took a fascinating peek at the gracious lifestyle of the family which made such an impact on our history.
It was in the wood-panelled study at Dale House that Abraham Darby III prepared for the construction of the world's first iron bridge.
With children, particularly teenagers, in tow, it's probably quite easy to overdose on the museums here, which is why we thought the passport - which lets you come back over a year for a fixed fee - is a great idea and good value.
Most of the museums are easily visited in an hour - with the exception of Blists Hill and Enginuity - but even a long weekend is not nearly long enough to absorb all that Ironbridge has to offer.
We managed to squeeze in a visit to the charming Victorian gas-lit galleries and period rooms at the Jackfield Tile Museum. There was a word search game to keep Sophie occupied as we wandered through a country church, shop and tube station to see where some of the tiles made here ended up, but it is probably best visited when the demonstrations are on offer.
We could have gone on to Broseley Pipeworks museum, which preserves the ancient local industry of making clay pipes, the Coalport China Museum, the Museum of the Gorge, where visitors can discover the environmental effects of the years of industry, the Museum of Iron, the Toll House or the Tar Tunnel, dug from the hillside in 1787.

But the girls were eager to return to the present-day and see what else the Ironbridge and Telford area had to offer.
That is how we came to find ourselves in a pretty woodland area, with gurgling streams - and hundreds of singing, dancing, gnome-like characters out of nursery tales, along with a few talking dinosaurs.
This was Wonderland. My husband said, as he stood beside the three little pigs' cottage, whilst shrill piped music filled the air: "Whoever designed this must have been on magic mushrooms". I had to agree, it really did feel rather wierd to be standing in the middle of Telford surrounded by fairytale figures.Nevertheless, a lot of care and skill had gone into making the intricate displays.

To add to the confusion, we also entered a 'winter wonderland', complete with singing Santas and snowmen and a reindeer ride with Christmas musical accompaniment. The lad operating it had a permanently bewildered look. I wonder why?

Having said that, Sophie had a great time - as, it was apparent, did all the other small children around us, though their parents wore spaced-out expressions.
Little paths took us to the various cottages of story book favourites and, up on the hill, there were a few fun themed rides and roundabouts and what we all agreed was the best bit - a great maze with a gazebo in the middle which greeted us with piped cheering once we’d found our way.
Having negotiated all the poorly signposted roundabouts around Telford, where everything seems to be hidden behind hedges, including, it would seem, the shopping centre, getting to the middle and back of this maze was an absolute doddle.
I will say this for Telford though, it puts other towns to shame when it comes to children's playgrounds. Right beside the shopping centre - and an ice rink - is a huge, leafy park with boating lakes and arenas and about six play areas for different ages and abilities. The most popular attraction was the biggest slide I have ever seen in a kiddies' playground, with a nice soft landing on sand.

With heads somewhat reeling from historical facts and the rides and fantasies of Wonderland, it was a much-appreciated relaxing experience to tootle a few miles to Hoo Farm Animal Kingdom on the outskirts of Telford.
Hoo Farm is, apparently, famous for its sheep steeplechase - which, unfortunately for us, was not running that day. But there were so many other animals to see and feed, pets to stroke, gokarts to ride and cockatoos to chat to that we didn't miss the excitement.
This was, honestly, one of the best farm parks we have been to, in such a pretty, tranquil setting and with plenty of opportunity to get up close to its occupants, including some very beautiful and spirited horses. At the far end is parkland, where we spotted red deer, whilst, at the other extreme, emus, rhea and ostriches were aloof to our calls.
It was a bit of a shock, therefore, to enter into a cool glade of pine-strewn paths to find that they led to - surprise, surprise - one after another of fairytale cottages very like those we had encountered in Wonderland. Very strange - but Sophie was amused.

It seems to me that if you go down to the Ironbridge Gorge and Telford area today you can be sure of not one, but several big surprises - but, take it from me, they are all delightful.

FACT FILE
* For more information, or for a copy of the Telford and Ironbridge Gorge visitor guide, call 01952 202975 or visit www.visitironbridge.co.uk

* Ironbridge Gorge Museums are open seven days a week from 10am until 5pm; some close or reduce their opening hours November to March and visitors should call to check winter opening. Call the Ironbridge Tourist Information Centre on 01952 884 391 or visit www.ironbridge.org.uk
* The Gorge is easily reached via the M6 and M54 motorways exiting at Telford (M54 junction 4 or 6).
* Annual Tickets and Passports are priced at £46 for families (two adults and up to three children), £14 for adults, £12.50 for over 60s and £9.50 for children (up to 18 years in full time education). Individual admission is also available into any of the sites.
* Hoo Farm Animal Kingdom, Preston-on-the-Weald Moors, Telford, TF6 6DJ. For opening times and prices call 01952 677917 or visit www.hoofarm.com

* Wonderland, Telford Town Park, TF3 4AY. For opening times and prices call 01952 591633 or visit www.wonderlandtelford.com

© Helen Werin