Iron Bridge shelf bracket

The Iron Bridge shelf bracket is inspired by the world's first ever bridge made by iron, which was built by a Quaker family.

The Darbys and the Industrial Revolution

The Quaker family, the Darbys, were based in Shropshire, England, and the Iron Bridge opened in 1781 as the world's first iron bridge.

The Darbys and their influence over the Industrial Revolution began almost 75 years before the Iron Bridge was built.

In 1708, Abraham Darby I (1678 - 1717) came to Shropshire to repair an iron-making furnace at Coalbrookdale. Darby I had begun his career as a brass maker, and upon repairing the furnace at Coalbrookdale he discovered that iron could be smelted with coke instead of charcoal.

Using coke in the smelting process was superior to charcoal because coke, a manufactured form of coal, was in plentiful supply. Smelting iron with coke freed the iron industry from the need to rely on trees, which charcoal came from. Coke also had fewer impurities than charcoal and became more cost-effective. Darby I leased the 'coke' furnace he'd repaired and set up an accompanying foundry that soon began mass-producing kettles, pots and cauldrons.

Abraham Darby I died in 1717 when his son Abraham Darby II (1711 - 1763) was only six. Until his son was old enough to take over the business, the foundry was managed by Darby II's mother, Mary, and fellow Quakers who established the Coalbrookdale Company. Mary died a year later, but the newly established company ensured iron production continued uninterrupted.

Like his father, Darby II was an innovator and when he joined the company in 1732 he built a steam-powered engine that could recycle water. By recycling its water supply, the foundry became more efficient and allowed the company to grow by taking over several nearby furnaces and upgrading them with the new technology.

Darby II also influenced the newly emerging railway industry. Until then, wooden carts on wooden rails pulled by horses had been used to transport iron and raw materials. Darby II used iron wheels and rails, which were far more durable and longer-lasting than wood. The use of iron over wood would dominate railway building and, by the time the first commercial steam locomotives appeared in the early 19th century, iron had become the material of choice for construction.

Building the bridge

By the time Abraham Darby III (1750 - 1789) joined the company in 1768, Coalbrookdale was a major employer that provided a school and cottages for its workers, as well as paying higher wages.

To keep up with increasing demand, a bridge was needed to cross the River Severn. Shares were issued to raise the £3,200 required to build the bridge, with Darby III agreeing to pay for any overspend himself.

The bridge had been estimated to require 300 tons of iron, but ended up using 369. This created an overspend of around £3,000, nearly doubling the cost of the original estimate and leaving Darby III in debt for the rest of his life.

The Iron Bridge opened in 1781 and by the mid-1790s it was highly profitable, with tolls giving shareholders an annual dividend of 8%.

Nearly 150 years later, in 1934, the bridge was designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument and closed to vehicular traffic. Tolls for pedestrians were collected until 1950. The bridge, the adjacent settlement of Ironbridge and the Ironbridge Gorge now form the UNESCO Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.

The Iron Bridge shelf bracket is available to buy from Black Country Metal Works (opens in a new tab).

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