Coalport

Coalport
Coalport
	TheShakespeare Innin the village centre, where the road crosses the Hay Inclined Plane
	Coalport Location withinShropshire
OS grid reference	SJ696023
Civil parish	The Gorge;
Unitary authority	Telford and Wrekin;
Ceremonial county	Shropshire;
Region	West Midlands;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TELFORD
Postcode district	TF8
Dialling code	01952
Police	West Mercia
Fire	Shropshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Telford;
	List of places UK England Shropshire 52°37′05″N2°26′56″W/ 52.618°N 2.449°W

Coalportis a village inShropshire,England. It is located on theRiver Severnin theIronbridge Gorge,a mile downstream ofIronbridge.It lies predominantly on the north bank of the river; on the other side isJackfield.It forms part of thecivil parishofthe Gorgeand is the south-eastern corner of the borough ofTelford and Wrekin.

History

The settlement was planned as acanal–river interchange and a complete new town byironmaster William Reynolds,who built warehouses, workshops, factories and workers' accommodation in Coalport between 1788 and 1796. He also directed the construction of theShropshire Canal,linking the East Shropshire Coalfield with the River Severn — the terminus being Coalport Wharf between the Brewery Inn andCoalport Bridge.Coalport was, at this time, much larger than it is today.

Cast iron bridge

Coalport Bridge

TheCoalport Bridgeofcast ironwas built in 1818 and unlike its evenmore famous neighbouratIronbridge,still takes vehicular traffic, albeit limited to a single line of traffic, a 3-tonne weight limit and a height restriction of 6 ft 6in (1.98 m). It was restored and strengthened in 2004. The bridge links Coalport withBroseley,a small town approximately a mile (1.6 km) away.

The bridge effectively extends Coalport across the river to an area historically known asPreens Eddy.On this southern side of the bridge is the Woodbridge Inn and the formerCoalport West railway station.The Telford and Wrekin borough boundary runs through Preens Eddy - the Woodbridge Inn for instance lies in theShropshire Councilarea.

Pottery

Coalport was home to an importantpotteryfounded in 1795 by John Rose. It producedCoalport porcelainwhich became popular worldwide. The building it was initially produced in is now aYHA youth hostel^[1]and café. Production later moved across the canal to the buildings which are now theCoalport China Museum.Production moved toStaffordshirein 1926, and, although the Coalport name was retained as a brand, the company subsequently became part of the world-famousWedgwoodgroup.

Transport

Railways

The easternmost part of Coalport was, at one time, served by two railway stations:

Coalport Eastwas aterminusof aLondon and North Western Railwaybranch fromWellington;it is sited on the northern river bank.
Coalport Westwas a through station on theSevern Valley Railwayon the southern bank, operated by theGreat Western Railway.The line is now part of theSevern Waywaymarked walk; the station building is a private residence. Two converted ex-British Railwayscoaches have been placed between the platforms to provide holiday accommodation.

Canal

Coalport Canal with the house at the entrance to the Tar Tunnel

TheCoalport Canalruns through the village and greatly aided the settlement's development. TheHay Inclined Planewas completed in 1793 and is one of the country's major industrial monuments and the best preserved and most spectacular of its kind. It enabled canal barges andnarrowboatsto be transferred from the bottom of the Severn gorge to the top, up a 1 in 4 gradient on wheeled cradles, operated by a team of just four men. It was the equivalent of 27canal locksand could transport six barges per hour in this fashion, an operation that would have taken over three hours using a traditional lock system.

The canal was eventually superseded by rail transport and fell into neglect, silting up and becoming overgrown; it was infilled in the 1920s. It was not until the late 1970s that it was partially restored, with further restoration in the 1990s. TheHay Inclined Planeis now part of theBlists Hill museum,part of theIronbridge Gorge Museum Trustthat operatesBlists Hill Victorian Town,just half a mile up the hill.

Tar tunnel

TheTar Tunnel,a former source of natural bitumen, is near theCoalport Canal,and is open to the public at certain times.

Memorial footbridge

Plaque half-way along the footbridge, commemorating those who died in the Great War.

The Memorial Bridge is a footbridge spanning the River Severn, linking the Tuckies part of Jackfield with Coalport. It was built with funds raised by public subscription in 1922, and is in memorial to the men of Jackfield and Coalport who were killed in theFirst World War,later dedicated to those of both World Wars. The original structure was declared unsafe in 1997 but was refurbished and reopened in 2000.^[2]

Pubs

There are fourpublic housesopen in Coalport — the Brewery Inn, the Shakespeare Inn, the Boat Inn and the Woodbridge Inn (on the southern bank, byCoalport Bridge).^[3]

Bibliography

Cossons, Neil; Trinder, Barrie (2002).The Iron Bridge: Symbol of the Industrial Revolution(2 ed.). Phillimore & Co Ltd.
Cragg, Roger, ed. (1997).Civil Engineering Heritage: Wales and West England(2 ed.). Thomas Telford Ltd.
Lewis, Peter R. (2007).Disaster on the Dee: Robert Stephenson's Nemesis of 1847.Tempus.

References

^YHA Ironbridge Coalport
^Francis, Peter (2013).Shropshire War Memorials, Sites of Remembrance.YouCaxton Publications. pp. 31, 136.ISBN 978-1-909644-11-3.
^Shropshire Pub SurveyCoalport pubs

External links

Bridge strengthening

[1] YHA Ironbridge Coalport

[2] Francis, Peter (2013).Shropshire War Memorials, Sites of Remembrance.YouCaxton Publications. pp. 31, 136.ISBN 978-1-909644-11-3.

[3] Shropshire Pub SurveyCoalport pubs

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