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Coalport

Ironbridge GorgePopulated places on the River SevernTelford and WrekinUse British English from March 2018Villages in Shropshire
The Shakespeare Inn, Coalport geograph.org.uk 1261137
The Shakespeare Inn, Coalport geograph.org.uk 1261137

Coalport is a village in Shropshire, England. It is located on the River Severn in the Ironbridge Gorge, a mile downstream of Ironbridge. It lies predominantly on the north bank of the river; on the other side is Jackfield. The settlement was planned as a canal–river interchange and a complete "new town" by ironmaster William Reynolds, who between 1788 and 1796 built warehouses, workshops, factories and workers' accommodation in Coalport. He also directed the construction of the Shropshire Canal, linking the East Shropshire Coalfield with the River Severn — the terminus being Coalport Wharf between the Brewery Inn and Coalport Bridge. Coalport at this time was much larger than it is today. It forms part of the civil parish of the Gorge and is the southeastern corner of the borough of Telford and Wrekin.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Coalport (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Coalport
Reynolds Wharf,

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Wikipedia: CoalportContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 52.618 ° E -2.449 °
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Address

Reynolds Wharf

Reynolds Wharf
TF8 7HU , The Gorge
England, United Kingdom
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The Shakespeare Inn, Coalport geograph.org.uk 1261137
The Shakespeare Inn, Coalport geograph.org.uk 1261137
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Nearby Places

Tar Tunnel
Tar Tunnel

The Tar Tunnel is an abandoned tunnel located on the north bank of the River Severn in the Ironbridge Gorge at Coalport, England. It is one of ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums attractions administered by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. Miners struck a gushing spring of natural bitumen, a black treacle-like substance, when digging a canal tunnel for the Coalport Canal in 1787, or else digging a level in search of coal. The plan, proposed by William Reynolds, was to connect the canal alongside the River Severn to the lower galleries of the mines below the Blists Hill area. After digging around 3,000 feet (910 m) into the hill the canal project was abandoned in favour of bitumen extraction. The tunnel was a great curiosity in the eighteenth century and bitumen still oozes gently from the brick walls today. Bitumen's chief commercial use at the time was to treat and weatherproof ropes and caulk wooden ships, but small amounts were processed and bottled as 'Betton's British Oil', a panacea remedy for rheumatism and scurvy. After the canal project was abandoned the Hay Inclined Plane was built instead, its base being alongside the canal basin. In the past visitors were provided with hard hats and were able to enter the first 300 feet (91 m) of the brick-lined tunnel as far as an iron gate. Electric lighting is provided. Due to a build up of gas in the tunnel, it is unsafe to enter but visitors can still get a view along part of its length from the entrance.