Last updated on August 23rd, 2023 at 01:35 pm
Blists Hill is great fun, an open air museum near Ironbridge, Shropshire. Travel back in time…not far, just a little over a century or so. Once you’ve worked through the modern visitor centre and negotiated your way past kids playfully chucking ice creams around outside the café, you’ll find yourself transported back to 1900 – well, a sanitised version of it, anyway. In front of you, there’s a railway siding; opposite that, the cycle repair shop, grocer, bank – and you may hear a snatch of someone singing “Down at the Old Bull and Bush” drifting down from the New Inn. Set in about 50 acres, including canal side and woodland walks, Blists Hill is a recreated Victorian town with shops, cottages, workshops and a whole lot more. There’s a print shop, forge, butchers (probably), bakers and candle-stick makers – even a small Victorian fairground, where my prowess with the pop-gun proudly won a sherbet dab for Mrs Britain. It was several years ago, but I believe she still has it… Staff dress in period costume and many of the old traditional trades are skilfully demonstrated for you. You can even exchange your modern money at the Bank for Victorian pre-decimal pounds, shillings and pence tokens to spend at the old sweetshop, New Inn – or perhaps on some nice wholesome fish ‘n’ chips. Other exhibits are static, but no less fascinating.
Blists Hill may be an artificial town, but its heritage is real enough. It is set in a genuine industrial area containing mines and blast furnaces, where the Madeley Wood Co produced pig iron until 1911. The buildings are a combination of those that are original to the site, ones that have been salvaged from elsewhere (like the pub – which sells real beer, by the way), and others that are faithful reproductions. There are heaps of authentic fittings, and other collectables, including signs, of which a particular favourite must be, “Wanted – young girls for pickling and bottling.” The remains of the blast furnaces – and they are massive – are still there. At the far end of the site is the Hay Inclined Plane – not an aircraft with a penchant for dried grass, but a railway track on a 1:4 slope over which canal barges were transported between the River Severn and the Shropshire Canal 207 feet (64 metres) above. It was built in 1792 and operated for more than 100 years, with team of four men and a small steam engine; empty barges up, loaded barges down, 6 barges an hour; amazing. It is, apparently, the best surviving example of a canal inclined plane in the land. So now you know.
Good friends Steve and Kate told us about Blists Hill, and we’re so glad they did. It’s a bit like an informative book with brilliant illustrations: you can just wander about, looking at the pictures as it were, or dip into a bit more detail if you feel like it. It would be easy to spend most of the day there, but you should certainly allow at least two hours.
Like many open air museums, there are occasionally special events – so check out before you go. Also, as it is outdoors, make sure you dress appropriately. Blists Hill is one of 10 museums run by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and I must say they’ve done a jolly fine job. One tiny suggestion: I can’t help thinking that the canteens/cafés should be Victorian-themed too. As it is, they seem rather out of place and the main café at the entrance, frankly, had a little too much Formica for my liking. I picture neatly uniformed waitresses with starched aprons (as you do), stacks of cakes, period furniture, decor and so on…children that can be seen, but not heard… There you are, good people of Blists Hill; my contribution to your future wealth.
I love the Blists Hill Museum as there is so much of interest there and you do need a good three or four hours to see everything. A great day out:)
Dsounds like a fascinating place to visit. I’ve never heard of an inclined barge-moving railway before!
I did feel as if I had been travelling back in time. We visited here back in the late 1980’s and it looks just as i remembered! It was a good day out I love open air museums you can really appreciate what life used to be like. Sarah x
Hi Mike – what a wonderful display you’ve given us … I’ve always wanted to visit – but it’s not an area I tend to visit … one day I will! No doubt with a few visits to take it all in … it’s extraordinary how life has changed in the last 150 years or so … cheers HIlary
I love those kinds of museums where you can actually enter the yesteryear worlds. I agree with your suggestions for improvement, especially children being seen and not heard. By the way did you see any pickled girls.
Now you are in my part of the world 🙂 One of the eating facilities is The Forest Glen, a building that was relocated from the bottom of the nearby Wrekin hill. I remember visiting it, in its original location and even attending evening events there. The inside has changed slightly and now you go in through the back door, rather than into the main seating area. Essentially it is the same, but it has lost some of its charm.
http://www.wellingtonla21.org.uk/discover/pdf/Wrekin.pdf
The Forest Glen is mentioned on page 9
It’s a great place is this, although it’s some years since I’ve been there. Glad to hear it’s still going strong.
I love historic living villages like this. I’ll be sharing our Kings Landing Historical Settlement next week on my blog (as I have several times over the years). I agree about the pub atmosphere being in keeping with the era of the site. That is one thing that Kings Landing does do. The staff and waiters are dressed in period costume and the food is simple period fare. No fish and chips. 🙂 Thanks for the tour of Blists Hill.
I am so happy you visited my blog because now I can subscribe to yours. I love your website! I am going to feature your site this Friday for our British Isles linkup., Lots of reading to do here.
Wonderful place. We bought the ‘passport’ ticket and did most of the set of museums over the following year. It’s all very good stuff. We also do the Black Country Museum from time to time, which is similar.
This sounds like a great place! I’d love to visit, but it is a bit too far away from Yorkshire to be a likely destination for my 2017 summer holiday.
Agree on the café bit! Children that can be seen but not heard… bliss!!
We loved our visit there – which must have been about 10 years ago! There was such a lot to see and do.
It sounds and looks like a very eclectic place!