The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced (16 October 2025) that the National Trust will be taking over the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust in spring 2026, securing their future, with the aide of a £9 million Government grant from the ‘Plan for Change’ fund. The Museum Trust, formed in 1967 and within the Ironbridge Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the UK’s largest independent museums and the custodian of some of the nation’s most significant industrial heritage. Like many industrial heritage sites in England the Trust has been dealing with increased costs, climate change, and lower vistor numbers since the pandemic.
This funding will enable the transfer of the Ironbridge Gorge museums to the National Trust, securing the future of this internationally significant heritage site and ensuring continued access to Britain’s industrial heritage for hundreds of thousands of annual visitors. The Ironbridge Gorge was designated as one of Britain’s first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1986, recognising its pivotal role as the epicentre of 18th century world industrialisation. The site encompasses 10 museums (Blists Hill Victorian Town, Enginuity, Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, the Old Furnace, the Darby houses, the Museum of the Gorge, the Ironbridge Tollhouse, the Tar Tunnel, Coalport China Museum, Jackfield Tile Museum and Broseley Pipeworks), and 35 listed heritage buildings and Scheduled Monuments, and attracts 330,000 visitors annually. Its Nationally Designated collection includes more than 400,000 objects, representing a rich and unique record of Britain’s industrial past.
Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport, visited Abraham Darby I’s furnace and Coalbrookdale Museum to make the announcement. She stated that: “As the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, it is absolutely vital that the museums in the Ironbridge Gorge are protected as a key heritage asset in this country and a significant contributor to jobs and the economy in the Shropshire area.” Speaking to the Shropshire Star on Thursaday she also noted that: “One of the first things that came across my desk in 2024 when we were first elected was Ironbridge. It has been struggling like every heritage site in the country with visitor numbers post pandemic, but it also takes a lot of funding to continue to invest and protect the condition of this incredibly important historic site….It was urgent. If we hadn’t intervened and formed this partnership with the National trust I think it is fair to say that people who grew up coming here as children would not be bringing their children and grandchildren here in future years. So we were determined we were going to step up and support this, and to back that with a financial down-payment of £9m to demonstrate our commitment not just to Ironbridge, which is one of the most important sites in the country but to our industrial heritage, because the history of this country is not just the history of kings and queens and stately homes, it is the story of the most extraordinary people the length and breadth of Britain, people’s parents and grandparents, ordinary people who powered this country, built our wealth and influence and shaped who we are today.”
Councillor Carolyn Healy, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Planning & Sustainability, noted that: “This is a landmark moment for our Borough and for heritage conservation nationally. The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, including the many local people who have worked for the trust over the years, has been an outstanding custodian of our industrial heritage.”
Hilary McGrady, Director General of the National Trust, said “The Ironbridge Gorge is widely regarded as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, which paved the way for the scientific and technological innovation that defines our world today. The site is an example of British ingenuity, a source of immense national and community pride and a distinct and much-loved icon of our shared heritage. I cannot think of something more at home in the National Trust’s care – an institution built to protect and preserve the things our nation loves on behalf of everyone, everywhere.”
Mark Pemberton, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for IGMT commented that, “We are incredibly pleased to have secured the long-term future of the Museum by its transfer to the National Trust. The £9m investment by DCMS is recognition of the global significance and national importance of Ironbridge. Ironbridge was important as the birthplace of industry and as a major tourist destination it now plays a part in the success of the local economy. Ensuring a smooth transition, and in particular supporting IGMT’s staff and volunteers throughout the transition period, is now our priority.”
The full UK Government statement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/shropshires-ironbridge-gorge-museums-saved-for-the-nation
For the full Shropshire Star interview with the DCMS Secretary of State, Lisa Nandy, follow this link: https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/telford/ironbridge/2025/10/16/national-trust-to-take-over-ironbridge-museums-with-9m-government-grant/
Industrial Heritage Networks 