WIREDGOV

New research shows that the Iron Bridge was originally painted a red-brown colour, not the grey-blue colour seen today.

English Heritage's Iron Bridge conservation project will return the bridge to its original red-brown colour.

The Iron Bridge is the world's first bridge made of cast iron and is considered to be a symbol of the Industrial Revolution.

The new research into the original paint shades was undertaken as part of Project Iron Bridge, a £3.6 million conservation programme to restore the bridge for future generations. 

Historic paint researchers studied previously inaccessible parts of the ironwork and examined parts which have become detached from the bridge over the past 200 years.

English Heritage's Senior Property Curator, Dr Heather Sebire, said:

'Uncovering the original colour of the Iron Bridge has been a fascinating mix of both archive research work and detailed forensic investigation. We had already found some clues in the archives but the decider was the results of our analysis of the historic paint, revealing a red-brown coating beneath centuries of historic dust and paintwork. That's when we knew we had found the answer to the key question about the original colour of the Iron Bridge.

'While the bridge is covered in scaffolding, visitors will be able to see it up close and personal via our public walkway, and watch our team of painters transform this revolutionary structure to its original red-brown. And of course, when the scaffolding comes down at the end of the year, we'll reveal one of the most important bridges in the world, in all its glory.'

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