As part of the popular “Festival of Imagination”, people can see a ‘night of light’ in Ironbridge this weekend, celebrating the area’s World Heritage Site status.
The Iron Bridge as well as a range of key locations in the Gorge, including the Museum of the Gorge, Coalbrookdale viaduct, The Bartlett Memorial Fountain, will be illuminated on both Saturday and Sunday (19 & 20 Sept) evenings till 10pm.
The locations have been chosen by members of the Ironbridge Festival Steering Board, which include partner organisations in the Gorge.
This will see the Council complete a scheme with the iconic Iron Bridge lit every weekend evening from Saturday, with a new advanced and environmentally friendly floodlighting scheme, designed to complement the historic structure, which was the subject of a £3.6m conservation project, by English Heritage in 2018.
The new lighting scheme has been made possible with the Council’s Telford 50 Legacy fund, part of the Telford 50 celebrations, and with significant contributions from partners – the Arts Council and English Heritage.
The scheme has been led by two top lighting designers with strong links to Telford, Liz Peck and Bob Bohannon – both are lecturers at the LIA Academy (Lighting Industry Association Academy) in Telford.
Councillor Carolyn Healy, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for Visitor Economy & The World Heritage site said: “We are really looking forward to seeing the new lighting on Iron Bridge switched on this weekend – another fantastic legacy of Telford 50.
“The bridge will be then lit every weekend evening for all to enjoy – a fitting setting for this centerpiece of the West Midlands’ only World Heritage Site.
“The new lights will perfectly showcase the structure of the bridge and also celebrate its great industrial heritage with a new furnace effect, evocative of the industrial past.
“To welcome the new lights on the Bridge and as part of the Festival of Imagination currently taking place, a range of other popular locations in the Gorge will also be illuminated this weekend (on both Saturday and Sunday).
“If you are around in the Gorge, you can enjoy this ‘night of light’ on an evening stroll while making sure to keep safe, in line with the latest guidance on social distancing.”
The Festival of Imagination continues until the 27 September, with a mix of online and socially distanced activities for everyone to enjoy- such as ‘walk the gorge’ trails, art trails, poetry workshops, online poetry slam, a live online cooking demo and a special ‘Taste the Gorge’ with local celebrity chef Adam Purnell and many other events.
Check out all the events and pre-book your tickets on www.ironbridgefestival.co.uk
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