February Holiday 2022 Part Four - The Birthplace of Industrial Revolution

 It was our final day of holiday, I know I say this every time, but why does the time go so fast? Yes, we had only been away for a few days because of covid at the start, so comparing it to the almost two weeks we normally get, it was short. But anyway, we were determined to enjoy the last day and for once, we were doing something more recent than the Dissolution of the Monasteries!

When we were seeing James's parents, his Mum had told us about Blist's Hill, a recreated town in the Victorian era that they had visited years ago and really enjoyed. James remembered it slightly differently, but he agreed we should go and check it out. I think that's a parental thing, my parents do it too, they remember a holiday or an event as a very positive one, whereas for me, it wasn't so great. Let's hope I remember this holiday positively in the future! 

On the way to Blist's Hill, we stopped in the village of Ironbridge, named after (yes you guessed it!) the Ironbridge over the river Severn. Yes, here the Severn is a small river, nothing like the behemoth it becomes towards it's mouth. Construction of the Ironbridge began in 1777, and was the world's first Ironbridge built for actual use. A smaller demonstration one over a stream had been built in Yorkshire previously, but Ironbridge was to be used to link the communities and industries either side of the river. It was to become the catalyst for the industrial revolution, and proved that any form of construction could be possible. 

I'll have to ask my Nan and see if she remembers it being built! 

The bridge is beautiful, considering this was the first proper iron bridge, it looks surprisingly light and elegant, with it's thin ribs and high deck. It wonderful to walk across and realise this bridge is almost 250 years old, and just as fantastic as the day it was built. You can imagine people coming from all over to marvel at this feat of engineering, an iron bridge across the gorge. The bridge has had minor maintenance over the years, but a big restoration in the 1970's and again in 2017 has meant the bridge should easily remain here for the next 250 years.

We then headed up to Blist's Hill. It's in a similar vein to a European Ethnographic Museum, akin here in the UK to Crich, Amberley or Beamish museums. It's set in a specific time, with buildings & transport of the era, and with the staff in period costume and often with Victorian style food & souvenirs to try & take home. It can be quite the experience, and on paper Blist's Hill should be amazing. And mostly it was, but it felt a little lacking at times. 

I think where we were visiting in the off season and outside school holidays, it felt very quiet. Eerily quiet, to the point where we saw so few people, we were concerned it had closed early and forgotten we were there! Only the Victorian chippie and the pottery place was open, we had a nice little chat with the people working there who were so good in explaining how life was for people in those industries in the Victorian era. But otherwise, we saw nobody until the exit & giftshop, hence why it felt lacking at times.

Now I understand, having worked in retail for many years, that you have more staff at busier times, and less staff in the quieter times. But I also know that you always try to give a similar level of service throughout the day. It is harder in the afternoons and evenings, your stock starts running low, daily tasks that have been delayed by sickness, events etc make running of the later shifts harder. But I would have expected a little bit more in terms of interaction with people there. Like I say, everyone we spoke to was amazing, but we could have done with a few more. The later part of our visit, we only spoke to each other as we explored! And James only has a basic knowledge of Victorian Industry! He couldn't answer any of my questions! (although he did know where the toilets were)

Views of one of the factories, and some of the advertisements on the wall of one of the buildings. You can't imagine adverts of cigarettes being shown any more!

I love this, imagine going to Sunday school in a train carriage! I wonder if it was a static one, or if it moved about, visiting a different parish each week.

This had me chuckling all afternoon. Non shrinking wool underwear. First of all, that must have been so so itchy on your privates, I can't wear wool. I would be scratching all the time and people would be thinking I had lice or fleas or something. And secondly, what a brand name. Two Steeples underwear. Who thought of such a thing!

The remains of the blast furnaces, used to melting metal down and forging. You cannot imagine the noise, heat and atmosphere while these were in operation. It must have been overwhelming. And it's almost funny, that a small place in Shropshire was the start of the Industrial Revolution. The birthplace of heavy industry, that has brought us to where we are today!

An old engine house and one of the steam locomotives awaiting restoration.

Like I say, I think I will come back when it's busier and there's a bit more on, just to experience it and learn more about the place. Blist's Hill costs £27 for an adult entry, which in the low season I thought was quite steep. However, if you've got more time and are staying in the Ironbridge area, consider getting one of the multi attraction passes, which can make each site overall cheaper. For instance, a ticket for all sites can be as little as £38, and lasts for a year, so plenty of time to use it. There's also a further £5 off for booking online at the moment too. For more information, and to see a list of other attractions the ticket coves head to: Ironbridge

Finally, we had one thing left to do in the area before we headed home. Ok so I lied to you all earlier, we were going to visit one last ruined Abbey before the drive back home.

This is Buildwas Abbey, a Cistercian Abbey founded in 1135. The Abbey began as quite a poor and small one, with little influence beyond the local community, however that began to change with Abbott Ranulf who took over in 1155. The Abbey had influence in Ireland, and had a daughter house in Dublin. The Abbey's wealth increased with granges and other buildings and farms located up the river Severn, making it easy to transport goods where needed. However, economically the Abbey and the wider area began to struggle during the 1300's. The Great Famine in 1315, The murder of the Abbot in 1342, rising debts & power struggles within the abbey in 1346 all affected the Abbey, and before it had a chance to recover, the Black Death arrived in 1349, killing many of the Abbey's residents, and further adding to the chaos. Things would only get worse, when in 1350 Welsh raiders attacked the Abbey, kidnapping the monks and stealing whatever they could.

The Abbey never seemed to fully recover, although it did have a large library full of books, many of which are currently housed at the Bodleian library in Oxford. The Abbey was quietly closed in the Dissolution without much protest or fanfare, unlike many others.

The beautiful tiles in the chapter house

The Abbey had a quiet life after the Dissolution, it changed hands many times, but there seems to be little events of note during at the time, and the ruins gradually went into obscurity. This in some ways is a good thing, the Abbey buildings were not converted into barns or manor homes, it's just the way it was on the day it closed, albeit missing it's roof and some of the walls.

Buildwas Abbey is under the care of English Heritage but is free to enter. It is one of those places that is completely silent aside from birdsong. It was glorious, and we had a fantastic time exploring the site. Just take care, it can be quite muddy in places. But it is a great place to visit, especially after exploring Ironbridge.

And here's a bonus picture for you! Here's me and James at the Abbey, once I'd managed not to slip up while trying to set a selfie timer on my phone!