Overview

• DCMS confirmed a £9 million grant enabling the transfer of the Ironbridge Gorge museums to the National Trust to keep the UNESCO World Heritage Site open.
• The package covers 10 museums and 35 listed buildings and Scheduled Monuments, with the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust’s nationally designated collection of about 400,000 objects reported to move as part of the deal.
• The world’s first iron bridge is excluded from the transfer because it is owned by Telford and Wrekin Council and cared for by English Heritage.
• The National Trust plans free entry for its members once the transfer is complete, will manage sites including Blists Hill Victorian Town, the Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and the Old Furnace, and targets growing annual visitors from about 330,000 to 600,000.
• Officials say the move will safeguard jobs and support the local economy, with backing alongside support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and engagement from Historic England.