Coalbrookdale

World of Darkness: 1900

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Appearance

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Geography

Ironbridge Gorge

The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge, containing the River Severn in Shropshire, England. It was first formed by a glacial overflow from the long drained away Lake Lapworth, at the end of the last ice age. The deep exposure of the rocks cut through by the gorge exposed commercial deposits of coal, iron ore, limestone and fireclay, which enabled the rapid economic development of the area during the early Industrial Revolution.

Originally called the Severn Gorge, the gorge now takes its name from its famous Iron Bridge, the first iron bridge of its kind in the world, and a monument to the industry that began there. The bridge was built in 1779 to link the industrial town of Broseley with the smaller mining town of Madeley and the growing industrial centre of Coalbrookdale.

There are two reasons the site was so useful to the early industrialists. The raw materials, coal, iron ore, limestone and clay, for the manufacture of iron, tiles and porcelain are exposed or easily mined in the gorge. The deep and wide river allowed easy transport of products to the sea.

Formation

The gorge carries the River Severn south towards the Bristol Channel. It was formed during the last ice age when the water from the previously north-flowing river became trapped in a lake (Lake Lapworth) created when the Irish Sea ice sheet dammed the river. The lake level rose until the water flowed through the hills to the south. This flow eroded a path through the hills, forming the gorge and permanently diverting the Severn southwards.

The Civil Parish

The Gorge is a civil parish within the ceremonial county of Shropshire. It covers the part of Ironbridge Gorge and includes the settlements of Coalbrookdale, Coalport, Ironbridge, Jackfield and Lightmoor, but not Buildwas or Broseley which are in the Shropshire Council Unitary Authority area. It is divided into three parish wards: Coalport & Jackfield (2 councillors), Ironbridge Gorge (3 councillors) and Lightmoor (3 councillors). The Gorge Parish Council has its offices and holds its meetings at the Maws Craft Inn in Jackfield.

The population of this civil parish at the 1861 census was 3,275.

Women in the Ironbridge Gorge ward had the third lowest life expectancy at birth, 74 years, of any ward in England and Wales in 1861.

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Coalbrookdale Town

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Population

• -- Town (706) - 1861 census

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Cemeteries

• -- Quaker Burial Ground

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Citizens of the City

• -- Rolland Atteberry -- Mayor (Tony)
• -- Roy Blue -- Magistrate (Reggie)
• -- Avery West -- Constable (Elwood)
• -- Fulton Eady -- Reverend (Jere)
• -- Alan Randell -- Town Doctor (Doc Emmett)
• -- Beverly Bateson -- Innkeeper (Homer)

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Inns

• -- Brewery Inn
• -- Coalbrookdale Inn
• -- George and Dragon Inn
• -- Grove Inn
• -- Swan Inn
• -- Valley Inn
• -- White Hart Inn
• -- Talbot Inn and Warehouse
• -- Station Hotel (where the vampires are currently staying) -- Deryck Sherwood Carlyle (manager)
• -- Tontine Hotel

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Landmarks

The Wrekin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wrekin

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Mines

Coalbrookdale Coalfield

Introduction

The Coalbrookdale Coalfield is a coalfield in Shropshire in the English Midlands. It extends from Broseley in the south, northwards to the Boundary Fault which runs northeastwards from the vicinity of The Wrekin past Lilleshall. The former coalfield has been built on as the new town of Telford.

History

Coal-mining in the area is believed to have been undertaken by the Romans, as the coalfield lay on Watling Street. Mining activity was first documented in the 13th and 14th centuries, when the monks at Buildwas Abbey were granted the right to coal and ironstone by Phillip de bethall. Although the coalfield only covers an area of 20 square metres (220 sq ft), it has been noted as being historically significant on account of its location with the ironstone seams, that allowed Abraham Darby I, in 1708 to make iron more efficiently using coke, rather than charcoal, thereby starting the Industrial Revolution. The River Severn also allowed for delivery of goods made in his works in Coalbrookdale.

During the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the Coalbrookdale Coalfield was second only to the North East Coalfield in terms of volume and it was producing 95% of the coal in the Shropshire area.

By 1896, the Coalbrookdale Coalfield had over 80 mines operating in the district; whilst most of these worked coal, some also worked the bands of fireclay too. Some of the fireclay were os such quality that they were used for the manufacture of pottery and clay tobacco pipes. Not all of the mines were too deep, some were described as surface mines, but the deep-mining industry in the coalfield peaked in the mid-19th century, with the last coal mine, Granville, being closed in 1979. Surface mining (opencasting), has been more prevalent in the western edge of the coalfield around Lawley, Little Wenlock and north of the River Severn at Ironbridge.

Geology

Coal-bearing strata are to be found across three synclines; the Donnington, Madeley and Coalport synclines whilst the majority of the coalfield is subject to intense faulting.

The following coal seams are recognised:

Middle Coal Measures

• Top
• Double
• Flint

Lower Coal Measures

• Best, Randle and Clod
• Lancashire Ladies

The coalfield extends from Broseley in the south west of the region to Lilleshall in the north east and is described as being roughly in a triangular shape.[14] Whilst it is thought that the coalfield extends towards, and into, the Staffordshire Coalfield, no mining for coal was undertaken east of the village of Shifnal.

Modern day

With most of the coal mines worked out by the 1960s, the idea of a new town was born, and although it was originally called Dawley new Town, Telford sprang up over the old coalfield. Mining continued into the 21st century, but was all of an opencasting nature. The site at Granville Colliery was transformed into Granville Country Park.

Miners

• -- Maitland Haynes (mine superintendent)
• -- Gil Whittemore (mine foreman) -- Responsible for the kidnapped lady & children
• -- Sylvanus Clement -- Mine guard who directly guards the kidnapped.
• -- Campbell Isaacson -- Wrote the ransom note and is expected to collect the ransom at the bridge.
• -- Auberon Kay -- Boatmen
• -- Erle Conner -- Boatmen
• -- Zeph Darrell (village idiot) -- He part in the plot is to hold the horse at the intersection of the river Severn and the Wrekin woods (4 horses).

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Monuments

The Iron Bridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iron_Bridge

Albert Edward Bridge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Edward_Bridge

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Private Residences

• -- Coalbrook Manor

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Public Houses

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pub

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Ruins

Coalbrookdale Furnace

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Darby_I

Wenlock Priory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wenlock_Priory

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Schools

Coalbrookdale Primary School

Coalbrookdale Primary School, a Local Interest building, is a fine example of Edwardian school building and is a prominent presence along the street front. (Dale End)

Coalbrookdale Literary and Scientific Institution (Coalbrookdale Institute)

[[]]

This was built in 1859, six years after the founding of the Institution itself, for the benefit of the employees of the Coalbrookdale Company.

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Telegraph

Electric Telegraph Company

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Telegraph_Company

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Transportation

Road Coachs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagecoach

Wellington to Craven Arms Railway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_to_Craven_Arms_Railway

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Workhouses

Lincoln Grange

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Workhouse

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Vampires

-- Horace Holden (''neonate'') -- Ambitious Climber

-- Henry Stern - Neonate -- Gifted Sculptor

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Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listed_buildings_in_The_Gorge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telford

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telford_and_Wrekin

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalbrookdale

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironbridge_Gorge#The_Gorge_parish

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_James_de_Loutherbourg

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