Although my daughter had visited Ironbridge Gorge with her school and remembered the Victorian Town attraction – Blists Hill – in particular, I had never been to that part of the world. So when we had the chance to spend a couple of days there, staying in a converted railway carriage at what had once been Coalport Station, I jumped at it.

As December weather goes, we were lucky. It was frosty, yes, but the clarity of the light as we set out to cross the River Severn for our first exploration on foot enhanced an already beautiful landscape. Quite apart from the fascinating factory-museums – 10 in all – and Blists Hill, this heartland of the Industrial Revolution is also glorious walking country.

Some 300 years ago Abraham Darby successfully smelted iron with coke at his Coalbrookdale furnace and this innovation led to iron-making on a massive scale. It changed the way of life for many millions of people and helped to create the modern industrial world. In fact, the simple process kick-started the Industrial Revolution.

Ironbridge is a designated World Heritage Site, and there is far too much to see and do even in two days, so buying an annual ‘passport’ is a good idea, as it enables you to return again and again. We managed to visit three museums plus Blists Hill, where we enjoyed chatting to the costumed shopkeepers, the printer as he printed posters on an old press, a bobby on his bicycle, the dressmaker, the baker and the candlestick maker!

Although these knowledgeable characters provide visitors with a fascinating insight into how life was lived in Victorian times, they are doing real jobs – and they aren’t actors. On our visit there, a class of schoolchildren were excitedly exchanging their money in the old Lloyds Bank for pounds, shillings and pence to spend in the shops. (We can recommend the pasties from the Pie Shop and they taste even better at 1900 prices!)

A £12 million development last year included a new visitor centre, incline lift and a narrow gauge mine railway. When we were there an entire ‘new’ street was being built, based on authentic Victorian buildings. Apart from the original blast furnaces on site, the buildings already forming the town were dismantled, brought to Blists Hill and then reconstructed.

As if the Victorian town and museums aren’t enough of an attraction for visitors of all ages, just a short drive away is the starting/finishing point of the Severn Valley Railway.  The SVR is a full-size, standard-gauge railway line running regular steamhauled passenger trains along the 16 miles between Bridgnorth in Shropshire and Kidderminster in Worcestershire. You can even enjoy a meal on board as you travel. 

The Severn Valley line was built between 1858 and 1862, and linked Hartlebury, near Droitwich, with Shrewsbury – a distance of 40 miles.  The important intermediate stations included Ironbridge and Coalport… which brings me back to Coalport Station.

All aboard

When Steve and Lisa Rawlings were house-hunting they saw the Coalport Station Master’s House, and decided on the spot to buy it. The line had been closed in 1968, the tracks were long gone, but very soon Steve and Lisa started to dream of bringing at least part of a train back to the site. Many challenges and several years later, there are now two railway carriages sitting on the tracks alongside the original platform ticket office.

In order to offer guests luxury self-catering accommodation, the vintage carriages had to be completely rebuilt inside: a process that took a year for each one. Today, the comfortably furnished carriages have kitchens with the latest equipment, central heating and air-conditioning, power showers and 42in screen LCD televisions.

The owners provide a wealth of books, games for children, information on Ironbridge Gorge and the surrounding area, as well as interesting historical background to the station and the line. Each of the carriages also has an outdoor eating area.

Amazingly, when I first looked out of the windows I felt as though I was actually moving – my brain was telling me that the guard had blown his whistle and this holiday ‘cottage’ was pulling out! It was a relief to wake up in the morning and see the same glorious scenery that had been there the evening before.

Although I am far from being a train ‘anorak’, there is something about the golden age of train travel that touches a chord and short of travelling in the Royal train, this is as close to luxury train travel as most of us will ever experience.

To spend the days walking around Ironbridge Gorge, exploring the museums and the Victorian Town, and then to return to your own personal train carriage perched above the Severn River is a delightful prospect, at any time of year.

Find out more

Ironbridge Gorge museums and Blists Hill are open seven days a week throughout the year. For full details of the entrance prices, annual passport etc., log on to www.ironbridge.org.uk/ Visit www.svr.co.uk for times of SVR trains and full details of the stations. Call 01562 827232 to make a booking. For Coalport Station Holidays, see www.coalportstation.com , tel: 01952 885 674.