Broseley
EXPLORE THE BRIDGNORTH DISTRICT |
The language of tourism is full of 'puffery'. How refreshing then to find Broseley. Don't be fooled by its modest claim to be 'an early industrial town'. Equip yourself with the town trail and discover where Abraham Darby I (the founder of Coalport china) was buried. Explore the maze of squatters' cottages clinging to the steep slopes.
Broseley sits on the lip of the wooded Ironbridge Gorge and houses many reminders of its industrial past. The houses of the rich ironmasters and merchants remain, as do the 'jitties'. These winding lanes still cling to the slopes of the hillside, threading their way through what was a shanty town of squatters cottages, the homes of itinerant miners. Another link with a lost industry lies within the unique Pipeworks Museum. Housed in the former Southorn's Pipe Factory, the original bottle kiln has been restored and a resident pipemaker gives demonstrations at weekends during the summer months.
Broseley tobacco pipes were once shipped worldwide. For forty years the last pipeworks slumbered beneath the dust and clay. Today, the clay tobacco pipe museum deserves to put Broseley on the map again.