I loved today's visit to Ironbridge. It is one of the places where the Industrial Revolution is said to have started. And how wonderful it is when something you learnt about so many years ago comes to life in a place like this. 

Do today's students still have this enjoyment of knowledge that is internal without having to Google it? I love the Internet, and it is so integral to my life I don't know what I would do without it, but I still love it when I can recite 'The Sunshine Route' (in Queensland) so I know where a town fits in on the northern route. Bits of physics, physiology, geography and history regularly come into play, though I wish my knowledge of history (and French) was more complete.
 

 
But back to Ironbridge, Abraham Darby is said to have made possible the mass production of iron by perfecting the process of smelting iron with coke instead of coal. Abraham, from a Quaker family, and his descendants continued to develop these processes. His son was responsible for a new invention that allowed them to develop the first iron bridge which was built in 1779. It still stands today. 

We visited the Museum of .the Gorge, where this history is more fully explained, and it is interesting to see how these inventions changed the world. But it was also explained how these inventions made this gorge a very polluted area. So innovation created jobs and solved problems eg the iron bridge meant the river could be crossed, very important as the ferries used previously could only be used when the river was high enough. But the by-products of the industry caused health and environmental problems. 

The gorge area uses iron in the public places - fences, even kerbing is made from iron. But there is more to this area than the history of iron production. The gorge and the town are very green and attractive, and there is lots to see.
 
 
 
On the way home we stopped at Much Wenlock (love the names of towns and streets here). This town received some publicity last year as this was the home of Dr William Penny Brooks, who is credited with starting the idea of the Olympic Games. He organised a tournament to encourage local youth to get some exercise, and the idea spread from there. A small village but a lot of history.

Then back to our hotel in the country. Buckatree Hall was in the middle of nowhere, but obviously a place where weddings and other functions are held. It was very comfortable. This Bank Holiday weekend it seemed that the guests were of a vintage that made us look young. You were almost odd man out if you did not have a walking stick. As we had a drink in the lounge that night ( no room in the restaurant so we had to eat in the lounge) my people watching activity was very rewarding (ie to me).. The room was awash with patterned chairs, curtains, carpets etc. I felt we could have been part of a Miss Marple film. The eccentricities of English people were wonderful to see. And that is not meant in any negative way. Doing the same in an Australian hotel is just as rewarding.

 And I nearly forgot that today we saw another Swan Inn (or two). I had begun to think this must be the most popular name for pubs here but found there are a number of lists on this topic but Swan is not at the top of any. Here is one article to finish up.