4.4 Ironbridge Gorge Museum Group in Britain：Pure ...
The Ironbridge Gorge was built in 1779 in Shropshire,the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution.It was the first iron bridge in the world.It shared 384 tons of iron,which accounted for one third of Britain's annual production at that time and cost 7 000 pounds,equivalent to 1.7 million pounds today.In the 1970s,industrial heritage such as abandoned factories,workshops and so on were renovated in the area.Now it has become the central building of the George Bridge Museum Group.While recording the process of industrialization in Britain,it has also led to the economic rebirth of the area.Ironbridge Gorge was successfully included as a world cultural heritage in 1986.The particularity of Ironbridge Gorge Museum lies in the fact that it is the first world cultural heritage with the theme of industrial heritage and has become a classic case of industrial heritage transformation.(https://www.daowen.com)
The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Group includes many industrial heritage communities,including the complete preserved ironbridge and blast furnace,as well as iron and steel technology and porcelain technology.These unique exhibition halls are collectively called“Ironbridge Gorge Museum”.In this case,the most special one is the management organization and operation mode of the museum,which is managed by a charitable organization.The organization is called the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.By renovating the industrial heritage into museums,ticket revenue was obtained and related industrial derivatives were developed.At the same time,the organization also has some funds from the support of the United Kingdom and the European Union,as well as donations from all sectors of society.In this case,the government departments did not participate too much in the protection of industrial heritage,but spontaneously transformed and protected the industrial heritage by social capital,and successfully found a suitable business plan.Through a certain degree of operation and profit,the industrial heritage has been effectively protected,which is a successful transformation case with the participation of pure social capital.