The National Trust is delighted and excited to be taking on one of the largest and most significant acquisitions in its 130-year history. The Ironbridge Gorge is often described as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and the future of this hugely important site has been secured by the transfer of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT) assets to the National Trust.

This landmark move comes following a difficult period for the heritage sector and investment from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, as well as support from Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Taking on the care and responsibility of 10 museums, 35 listed buildings and 400,000 collection items is a huge undertaking for the conservation charity and there is a significant amount of transition work that needs to take place.

There will be a temporary period of closure as the National Trust carries out necessary assessments and works to enable the sites to reopen. This includes the complex operation of installing new IT infrastructure which is needed to operate tills, membership and ticketing systems.

Paul Forecast, Regional Director for the National Trust in the Midlands said: “This is a very poignant and exciting time for us, as we take on the care and management of the sites widely regarded as the birthplace of the industrial revolution. It has been a long journey to get here and I’m grateful to everyone who has worked hard to get us to this point.

 “Whilst we cannot wait to be able to welcome visitors, as with any transfer of this nature, there is a lot for us to do to prepare for opening.
 “We have a dedicated project team working on this as we take the necessary steps to be able to reopen each site in a phased approach over the coming months. We are also welcoming staff and volunteers, from IGMT, into the National Trust and working alongside them to benefit from their extensive knowledge of the special places entering our care.
 “We know our members will be excited to visit, but please bear with us as we work on what’s needed to be able to welcome them. We will provide updates as soon as we can. In the meantime, there's still a lot to see and do in Ironbridge itself, including local businesses at Jackfield and Coalport.”

The transfer of the Ironbridge Gorge museums, to the National Trust, is one of the largest acquisitions the conservation charity has undertaken in its 130-year history, and it is proud to be taking on the care of a collection of sites with World Heritage Site status.

For 60 years these places have been under the management of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust (IGMT), so during this transition year, the National Trust intends to spend time listening and learning from everyone who has an interest in their future.

Claire Tafft, the National Trust’s project lead for visitor experience at Ironbridge said: “We know how much people love the Ironbridge Gorge sites already and want to reassure everyone that they won’t be changing too much. We genuinely want to understand how people would like to experience and get involved with these significant places in the future, and in this first year we will be taking time to listen and understand. We will be working with communities and visitors from the very beginning to build on IGMT’s legacy and help shape what the future looks like. This is the very start of a long-term vision for the future.”

For information on the transfer please follow the link: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/ironbridge-gorge-transfer