Call For Public Support To Help Save The Iron Bridge

14 Nov 2017 02:49 PM

English Heritage has revealed that a €1 million donation from the Hermann Reemtsma Foundation has helped start the fundraising appeal.

Work has this week started on English Heritage's major conservation project to save the Iron Bridge. The charity is now calling on the public to help raise the final funds needed to complete the work.

Built in 1779 over the River Severn in Shropshire, the Iron Bridge was the first single span arch bridge in the world to be made of cast iron. It was a turning point in British engineering and the predecessor of today's railways and skyscrapers.

Surveys and extensive investigations has revealed that the Iron Bridge is under threat from cracking and stresses in the ironwork. This is due to ground movement over the centuries and an earthquake in the 19th century.

Now English Heritage has begun a major project to clean, conserve and repair the 378 ton masterpiece. But the charity needs your help and has teamed up with Crowdfunder to raise the final funds needed.

Donate to Project Iron Bridge today.

Why The Iron Bridge Is So Important

The Iron Bridge is considered a symbol of the Industrial Revolution and it was the first bridge to be made entirely out of cast iron. It set a trend for metal to become widely used in bridges, aqueducts and buildings, changing the face of modern engineering forever.

English Heritage has already received a generous €1 million donation from the Hermann Reemtsma Foundation, which has boosted the project significantly.

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