Shropshire industrial heritage visiting guides

Shropshire’s industrial heritage is one of engineering, invention and landscape change. Best known for the Ironbridge Gorge, recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the county played a major role in the story of the Industrial Revolution, while its rivers, canals, bridges, mills and rural industries shaped many of the places that can still be explored today.

Around Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, Coalport and Jackfield, the River Severn valley became one of Britain’s most important industrial landscapes, known for ironmaking, ceramics, mining, tar extraction, lime burning and river transport. Coalport is especially associated with china manufacture.

Shrewsbury also has an important industrial story, led by the pioneering Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, often described as one of the world’s first iron-framed buildings. Elsewhere, places such as Much Wenlock, Atcham, Cound, Cantlop and Longdon-on-Tern show how wind power, bridge building, canals and aqueducts formed part of Shropshire’s wider industrial and engineering landscape.

These free visiting guides are designed for anyone interested in UK industrial heritage, as well as walkers and cyclists looking to discover historic sites at their own pace. Use them to plan a journey through Shropshire’s industrial past.

Find a free visiting guide