Ironbridge Gorge Museums

The Ironbridge Gorge is the setting for one of the UK's newest, most diverse and stimulating conference and event venues. The Museums in this UNESCO World Heritage Site offer a superb mix and match corporate function package, which ranges from a room over a Victorian public house to a 400 seater banqueting / exhibition hall. All the sites are under one management - the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust - with a dedicated staff who will tailor the options to make your event work spectacularly well. The Ironbridge Gorge was the scene for some of the most creative thinking in the history of the industrial revolution, a process symbolised here by the world's first cast iron bridge, now it's the setting for creative thinking for the future. For the large event the Engine Shop at Coalbrookdale offers a 400 seat banqueting / exhibition hall within a Grade II listed building, recently restored to also house the Trust's newest visitor attraction - Enginuity. The impressive ceiling height of this venue and easy vehicular access make it perfect for exhibitions and product launches. On the same site you can also enjoy a drinks reception in the surroundings of the new Elton Gallery before proceeding into the Covered Bays for a dinner for up to 150. Next door is the Glass-fronted Meeting Room which, even on a grey day will give a light and airy feel to any event. This venue can be used in conjunction with both the Elton Gallery and the Covered Bays and seats up to 100 theatre style. Finally, upstairs is the splendidly refurbished Board Room which will seat up to 30 delegates around its magnificent hand crafted table. At Dale House, home of the Darby family of Quaker ironmasters, you can entertain small groups in the elegance of a past age, overlooking the wooded valley of Coalbrookdale. Blists Hill Victorian Town offers exciting and unique possibilities for the event organiser in an authentically reconstructed, late Victorian working town. The Forest Glen Refreshment Pavilion is a beautiful Victorian pavilion which, together with the adjacent traditional fun fair is a particularly enchanting way to entertain up to 120 guests for an evening. Nearby the New Inn Public House provides gas lit dinners for up to 35. The whole town at Blists Hill can also be hired as an add-on to events, where your delegates can change their money at the bank into 'Victorian' tender to spend at the Butcher, Baker and even Candlemaker! Coalport China Museum is now the home for some of the most beautiful china ever made by the world famous Coalport factory and includes examples made for the King and Queens of Europe and the Tsars of Russia. It is also a striking setting for a formal cocktail party. The Museum of the Gorge is a gothic style 1830a warehouse from which goods from the famous Coalbrookdale Company were once transported down river to all parts of the world. The building now houses a fascinating history of the Gorge and also offers a film and lecture theatre which seats up to 60 delegates. All the sites can be packaged to give combinations of large and small, business and pleasure and are all within easy reach of one another. Our one stop management takes all the detailed site and catering organisation off your plate - leaving you free to concentrate on the success of your event.