1-158-446 - Oxford Science Archive/Heritage Images

Blast furnaces for production of iron at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, c1830. This scene is on the river Severn a few miles from Ironbridge. On the left, behind the tall chimney, it is possible to see the iron walkway giving access to the two blast furnaces in order to charge them with ore and fuel. The combination of its reserves of coal, iron ore and the proximity of the busy River Severn made Coalbrookdale the cradle of the Industrial Revolution in Britain. After a watercolour by Henry Gastineau (1797-1876).