Quiz query

[devadiva]

Where did the british industrial revolution begin - was it Ironbridge or Colebrook dale/\coalbrookdale

[Wop/tpo]

The Richard Arkwright water powered mill at Cromford,
Derbyshire would be a contender.

[devadiva]

The quiz master said Ironbridge but my team begged to differ

[Hammond Egg]

If it's a choice between the two (though they are only a few hundred yards apart) the answer would be Coalbrookdale.

The furnaces at Coalbrokdale existed some time before the
iron bridge; the village takes its name from the bridge.

[sddsddean]

Being an amateur industrial archaeologist, I would definately agree to Coalbrookdale as the answer. Abraham Darby first built his foundry here and this was extended by his son and extended again by his grandson (Abraham Darby III) to cast the parts of the 'Ironbridge'. With regard to Cromford; there are many contenders for the birthplace of the revolution and in all truth, it happened in many places at roughly the same time, but Coalbrookdale is usually credited. If you want a good quiz question...Everyone knows that Ironbridge was the first cast iron bridge built in the UK (let alone the World!), but where was the last in the UK?

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The Albert Edward bridge carries the railway into the old power station...about 400 yds upstream from the Ironbridge!