Ironbridge Gorge and Buildwas Power Station, Shropshire. The cradle of the Industrial Revolution. Abraham Darby established his iron works at Coalbrookdale in 1708, and in 1778 the first cast-iron bridge in the world, almost an icon of the Industrial Revolution, was erected here (towards the centre of the photograph). This industrial area sits among the greenery of this largely rural county. Photographed in February 2001.