Re-thinking Industrial Heritage

There are no easy solutions to meet the challenges that are already facing the industrial heritage sector but there are various models of good practice that are worthy of closer inspection.It is not the intention of this article to go into details regarding the myriad of initiatives that exist across the very broad horizon that constitutes industrial heritage and invariably are often culturally and politically specific.However,what I would like to advance here in outline are some experiences drawn from the Ironbridge Gorge industrial site in the UK and some suggestions that oscillate between policy intervention and site level management.

The Ironbridge Gorge site is one of the great pioneers of industrial heritage having its roots in the archaeological excavations during the 1950s of the buildings and wider landscape that can claim to be central to the Industrial Revolution at the very start of the eighteenth century.Abraham Darby's first coke fired furnace of 1709 that pioneered the mass production of iron,along with the world's first cast iron bridge(1779),some thirty six further scheduled national monuments and ten museums housing national designated collections,exist as one of the most important ensembles of industrial heritage in the world.This was recognised by the 1986 inscription of the site on UNESCO's World Heritage List.But what is remarkable about the site is that it has developed largely without direct public sector funding.The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust was established in 1967 and continues to function as one of the largest independent museums in Europe,if not the world.It is this independence that has necessitated continual re-invention in the approach to the management and development of the site.Though never easy,through creative partnerships,innovations and projects,the site has continued to develop in a sustainable way.While the absence of direct public funding makes the site resilient to immediate financial cut-backs,it does place considerable emphasis upon the management to continually innovate,development links with the private sector and respond to the needs of the changing audiences.Income streams are diverse and are primarily based upon the revenues generated through visitors via entrance fees,retail and catering spend and venue hire.Like many industrial heritage sites,Ironbridge is“resource rich and cash poor”so it is imperative that the full resources of the site are fully utilised at all times of the year and that the visitor experience offered is at the highest level and continually upgraded.Having a visitor focus is not in opposition to the concern with the integrity of the site but rather the two are inter-dependent objectives.(https://www.daowen.com)

As part of this outward,audience focus,the Ironbridge site is aware of the changing socio-demographics and of the need for effective interpretation.It was a pioneer in the use of“first person”interpretation in its“open air”industrial museum and this is now embedded as a vital part of the site experience.This overlaps with the operation of various workshops where traditional crafts and skills are still practiced for visitors and in so doing the intangible heritage of industry is kept alive.The site's education programme is central to its operations and the site receives around 70 000 school visits per year.This connection to the younger generation(and the future audience)is critical and links not only to historical narratives of the site but also to those of art,technological innovation and discovery.However,there is still a need for Ironbridge to further adjust its narrative so as to ensure relevance for a younger generation of visitors.Initiatives are underway for this,particularly with regard to the links with science,technologies and engineering.

The practices of Ironbridge point to a flexibility that accompanies its status as an independent trust rather than an agent of the state.Its twin concerns of conserving industrial heritage and education are paramount,but they are only able to be addressed through a creative and responsive system of governance.While it is frequently difficult to balance the concerns of visitors with conservation measures and,as with all heritage sites,no amount of additional resource is ever enough,this less bureaucratic,more entrepreneurial and commercially focused structure does provide Ironbridge with a degree of resilience.For over fifty years this approach has enabled the Ironbridge Gorge site to continually develop and expand its operations while increasing its professionalism in the operations of industrial heritage.