COALBROOKDALE MUSEUM OF IRON

Abraham Darby I, grandfather of the Iron Bridge creator, used coke from coal distillation to melt iron in 1709. The museum traces the evolution of the manufacture of the material, which was not only used to make bolts or boilers, but was also used to make sculptures, which are on display here. One of the most impressive is the Sighthound Table that John Bell made for the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1855.