Flooding at Ironbridge museums for third year running

Two museums in Ironbridge Gorge world heritage site have been affected by severe flooding following the recent storms.

Residents of Ironbridge were forced to evacuate earlier this week when the River Severn came close to breaching the flood defences protecting the town. Although the barriers held, the Museum of the Gorge and Coalport China Museum, two of the 10 sites run by Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust, were inundated.

Museum staff were able to move collections, electrical equipment and retail stock from the buildings before the waters rose.

It is the third consecutive year that the two riverside museums have been flooded. The historic buildings suffered serious damage in 2020, with water reaching waist height in the Museum of the Gorge. There was also flooding in 2021, which was less extreme, but combined with Covid-19 compounded the financial impact on the trust.

Ironbridge received support from the Cultural Recovery Fund and had only recently completed renovation work on the buildings following the earlier floods.

The floodwaters rose as Ironbridge’s museums were preparing to launch a programme of events and activities for February half-term. Although five of the trust’s sites remain open to visitors, footfall is significantly below what the trust had forecast due to disruption and transport issues in the area, according to Rory Hunter, the trust’s special projects director.

“The wider impact is the timing,” said Hunter. “We’re at the beginning of our season and we’re launching new programming. We had forecast 2,500 visitors a day across the museums but we’re running at 25% of that. Our two biggest sites are still open but nobody wants to travel.”

Blists Hill Victorian Town, Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, Jackfield Tile Museum, the Iron Bridge Tollhouse and Enginuity are all currently open. Hunter said the lack of visitors would have a knock-on impact on many local businesses.  

The water level is now receding and, barring further bad weather, the trust expects the clean-up to last until the middle of March. The buildings will need to dry out for a week and then be biologically cleaned to remove any toxins left by the river water. The cost of the clean-up operation is likely to come to around £10,000.

The trust is making long-term plans to manage the impact of more frequent flooding. “This is our normal now. It’s really important that we recognise that it is going to happen all the time – how do we respond?” said Hunter. The trust, which tells the site’s history as the birthplace of the industrial revolution, is planning to reflect these questions in its interpretation.

“We need to look at all of the innovations that happened here and ask what we can do. It’s about that inventiveness and spirit of entrepreneurial ingenuity,” Hunter said.

The local community has been “incredibly supportive” of the museums, and the trust is also offering help to local residents, he added. “The community here is so important. The museums are set into the heritage site, next to people’s houses – we’re all part of the same landscape.”

Staff are in good spirits in spite of the difficulties of the past two years, Hunter said. “We’re a resilient team, we get on with it […] We’re responsible for some of the most important real estate in the world and our role is to respond positively.”

The UK Government has committed £5.2bn to building new flood and coastal defences in England by 2027, but environmental campaigners have warned that much more needs to be done prepare the country for extreme weather.

In a statement this week, Lucy Allan, the Conservative MP for Telford, said: “The Government takes the issue of regular flooding along the River Severn very seriously […] I have been reassured that long-term strategic management of the River Severn is a priority. I will continue to make representations to the government for the maximum level of support for my constituents affected by flooding.”

Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin, which saw winds reaching 122mph, forced the closure of hundreds of museums and heritage sites across the UK over the past week, with some remaining closed as they clear away fallen trees and debris.

Has your institution been affected by the storms? Email geraldine@museumsassociation.org