National Trust delays Iron Bridge Toll House reopening to mid-June
The national trust says Blists Hill Victorian Town, the Museum of Iron and Furnace Kitchen are still set to reopen in May, but the Iron Bridge Toll House has been pushed back to mid-June. Mark Agnew, the project director for the National Trust in the Ironbridge Gorge, said the transition work has taken longer than expected.
The update gives visitors a clearer split in the reopening plan across Ironbridge Gorge. Jackfield Tile Museum and Enginuity are due to reopen to schools in June, with bookable weekend visits at the Tile Museum for other visitors, while the remaining sites, including the Museum of the Gorge, will reopen later in phases.
Ironbridge Gorge transition work
The museums closed in February as the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust prepared to hand the sites over to the National Trust. Last year, it was confirmed that the National Trust was taking over management and ownership of the museums with help from a multi-million pound government grant.
That handover has already led to as many as 50 people losing their jobs. Agnew said the trust is making considerable investment in IT and other infrastructure to ensure the smooth running of Ironbridge Gorge as part of the National Trust.
May opening at Blists Hill
Agnew said the trust is still intending to reopen Blists Hill Victorian Town, the Museum of Iron and the Furnace Kitchen as planned in May. He said details of timings and prices will follow on the trust's website in the next few weeks.
The same update placed Jackfield Tile Museum and Enginuity in June for schools, with weekend visits for other visitors at the Tile Museum. The Iron Bridge Toll House, however, will reopen in mid-June rather than with the first wave of sites.
Phased reopening across sites
Agnew said the first phase of the reopening will continue over the coming months and will be followed by the remaining Ironbridge Gorge sites. The phased timetable leaves visitors with a staggered return across the collection rather than one full opening date.
For people planning a visit, the practical step is to watch for the trust's timings and prices in the next few weeks, then plan around the site-by-site reopening dates already set for May and June.
