England, Shropshire, Ironbridge Gorge, UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area takes its name from the famous Iron Bridge, a 30 metre (100 ft) cast iron bridge that was built across the river there in 1779. The area around Ironbridge is described as the Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution because it is near a the place where Abraham Darby I perfected the technique of smelting iron with coke, allowing much cheaper production of iron.