The Bedlam Furnaces are situated a short distance from Ironbridge Town, downstream of the Iron Bridge. The furnace ruins have been disfigured by a large metal canopy installed by Historic England to protect it, and so I have ‘recreated’ how it used to look in the image below.
It is believed that these furnaces were given the name by a couple of artists in the early 1800’s who thought that the site resembled a lunatic asylum (presumably because it appeared so chaotic and dangerous). The furnaces were built in 1756 and some believe that parts of the Iron Bridge were cast here, due to their close proximity to the river crossing site compared to the furnaces at Coalbrookdale.
The term “bedlam” originates from the name of a hospital in London, “Saint Mary of Bethlehem,” which was devoted to treating the mentally ill in the 1400s. Over time, the pronunciation of “Bethlehem” morphed into “bedlam” and the term came to be applied to any situation where pandemonium prevails.
Behind the furnaces is an area which some (older) locals will recall used to be the site of a large natural gas tank that supplied the town with its gas, for lighting, cooking and heating, before the days of ‘mains’ gas. It was later landscaped into ‘Galleon park’, so called because it had a giant wooden ship as a play area. Sadly, this has now rotted away and the park is barely maintained.
Back in September 2008, there was a ‘festival of light’ at Ironbridge, where various landmarks were illuminated with a light show – including Bedlam Furnaces.
Here is one of my shots from the evening – it created an ethereal glow over the ruins.
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