Telford
New town 1963, named after engineer. Contains Ironbridge (UNESCO): first iron bridge 1779, first coke smelting 1709. National Trust takeover 2025. 3.8% unemployment vs 5% national.
Telford was assembled from the pieces of the Industrial Revolution. The new town, designated in 1963 and renamed in 1968 after engineer Thomas Telford, merged Wellington, Madeley, Hadley, Oakengates, Dawley, Ironbridge, and Donnington—towns that had pioneered industrial modernity and then declined as that modernity moved elsewhere.
Ironbridge is the symbolic heart. In 1709, Abraham Darby perfected coke smelting at Coalbrookdale, making iron production economically viable at scale. In 1779, the world's first iron bridge spanned the Severn gorge—a 100-foot cast iron arc that demonstrated what the new material could do. UNESCO designated the Ironbridge Gorge a World Heritage Site in 1986.
The new town aimed to draw population and industry from overcrowded Birmingham and the polluted Black Country. Housing estates, business parks, and a town center were constructed around the inherited industrial settlements. The population grew from scattered villages to 177,000.
Modern Telford blends heritage tourism with contemporary industry. The Ironbridge Gorge museums drew 300,000 visitors in 2024; management transferred to the National Trust in October 2025 with a £9 million government grant. Unemployment runs at 3.8% versus the 5% national average. The council maintains balanced budgets and £21.7 million in reserves.
By 2026, Telford tests whether a planned town can maintain coherence—and whether the birthplace of industrial revolution can attract 600,000 annual visitors.