‘The Cradle of the Industrial Revolution’ : The Museumification of the Ironbridge World Heritage

Abstract

This paper analyses the heritagization process focusing on the case of the Ironbridge and the Blists Hill Victorian Town in the Ironbridge World Heritage sites. The Ironbridge gorge area was transformed from industrial ruins into ‘the cradle of the Industrial Revolution’ through the process of the museumification. The Industrial Archaeology brought up in 1959 raised the necessity of excavation and preservation of industrial ruins. The development of Telford New Town project was the direct moment of the establishment of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. Then the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust which runs 10 museums became the main actor of industrial heritage management. As a palimsest process, new meanings were added to industrial heritage. In the first stage of industrial heritagization, elite innovator who made ‘the first’ was praised. However, new attention on tension between elite and masses and memory politics emerged recently. The restoration of history of coracle is the example. The Blists Hill Victorian Town raises the issue of authenticity of industrial heritage. As a fake town, the Blists Hill Victorian Town is not the case of nostalgic commercialization of the past but the public history space which provides the immersion to visitors and meditates history and masses.