Return to Ironbridge.

On Friday K, M & I went back to the the scene of our first group HE residential trip, Ironbridge (as you can see here, here, here & here, it was a great success!)  The lovely KL organised it brilliantly again and I think it's fair to say that a fantastic time (if rather less sleep than usual - and not just for the children!) was had by all.

Last time A joined us there for part of the time, but this time it was just the girls and me, even though it was over a weekend.  This was partly because he plays cricket on Saturdays and partly because he's so ridiculously busy with work at the moment that he used us being away as a chance to try to keep his head above water by working at the weekend without having to feel he's ignoring the girls and me.

We managed to get away mid-morning and arrived in time to have lunch in the town, before making our way the youth hostel, where we left the car before walking to Enginuity, which along with Blists Hill, was top of the girls' lists to return to.  One of the reasons for the return trip, was that some of the Ironbridge museums were closed when we went in November last year, so the plan was to visit those along with the favourites from last time.

There were some others who'd had the same idea, and we stayed there until about 4 o'clock, when we were allowed into the hostel.

Looking at how bouncy balls at different materials are.

After last time, I had already prepared K & M for the fact that 'sleepovers' (or lack-of-sleepovers as they should perhaps be called) weren't going to happen and I must say I was quite surprised that when it came to bedtime, although they moaned a bit, they didn't protest too much and as a result I think probably enjoyed the trip more as they weren't ridiculously tired during the day.

On Saturday we 'did' all of the museums that weren't open when we came in November, plus one that we'd dashed through very quickly last time.  Firstly we went to the Darby Houses, with two other families, the S's and the H's.  We all thought it was quite good, looking at the various rooms of the Darby family who were Quaker ironmasters.

The study

A medicine box.

The contents chart - including "Laudanum - poison" and "Sugar of Lead - poison"!

Kitchen.

Then we came to a room where we stayed for about half an hour - the dressing up room!  It had a variety of clothes to try on, for adults as well as children and both 'fashionable' Victorian and plain Quaker clothing.

M - as a mostly Quaker boy.

K - as a Quaker girl (not sure about the hat though!)

And me in Quaker dress too - not sure about the demonic eyes!

Next we went to visit the bridge and the Toll House, where we learned a bit more about the bridge.  Since the ironmasters were Quakers who believed that everyone was created equal, everyone had to pay the same price to cross the bridge, including royalty. 

The iron bridge

The price list - a ha'penny for pedestrians.

I found it almost incredible that the toll didn't change from when the bridge opened  in 1779 until ownership was handed over to Shropshire County Council in 1950!

Next was the Tar Tunnel, where a natural spring of bitumen was discovered when it was hit during the attempted construction of an underground canal in 1787.  It was fascinating to see it oozing from the walls of the tunnel as well as pools collecting in places.

One of the pools of tar.

Finally, despite protests from both of my girls, we went to the Broseley Pipeworks.  They strongly disapprove of smoking, and strongly objected to going to a museum about the making of pipes!  In the end they didn't wait in the car, but came in with us and did watch the videos and have a good look around.

Some of the pipes.

The adults were curious to hear that pipes were made in no small number before tobacco was introduced to this country, but we have yet to discover what people might have smoked!

Sunday, we went with the S's to Blists Hill, which was every bit as good as last time, possibly better as there were some things open that hadn't been when we went before.  We were very fortunate all weekend with the weather and that definitely helped too.  We started off by changing our money in the bank for Victorian money (40p = 1d, if I remember rightly!)

In the grocer's

In the chemist shop - the optician's section.

Same shop - rather larger dentist's area.

While we were in the chemist's we heard a kerfuffle outside and it was the policeman with a man who had nicked his bike!  They put on a bit of a show before moving on and we seemed to see a lot of the policeman after that.  He came into the drapers and haberdashers and commented to the lady in there that there seemed to be a lot of 'eccentric millionaires' about as that was the only explanation he could come up with the strange attire of some of the people around.

The drama outside the chemist.

Lace-making - that C had a go at.

In the candle makers.

The lady in the candle makers told us how she'd been researching the family tree of the man who'd owned this particular candle making business (all of the buildings in the place have been moved and rebuilt in their entirety) and had tracked down his great grandson to Canada and been in touch.  He was going to be coming to visit and dress up in Victorian costume to see where his great grandfather had worked at the time.

Demonstrating a lock.

The lockmakers wasn't somewhere we'd really noticed last time, but there was somebody there this time and he showed up how they worked and the development of the locks over time, which we all found really interesting.  Most of the locks used, certainly in the early Victorian period, had hardly changed from when they were first invented in the Middle Ages.

Lunch!

On the recommendation of friends who'd been the previous day, we walked along to the top of the Hay Inclined Plane, which we'd seen the bottom of next to the tar tunnel the day before, and had our lunch there.  The inclined plane was used to move goods and materials from the canal down by the river Severn to the one at the top of the hill.

Looking down the inclined plane.

After lunch we went to the bakery, to buy some fruit cobs (remembered from last time) and from there to the fairground (which is only there in the summer).

M & P on the swing.

The fairground is right next to the school and we all went in to have a look, but when we found out we could have a 'lesson', K, L & J chose to stay outside with P.

E, C & M in school.

Mr McCreedy the headmaster.

We had our hands inspected for cleanliness (which is of course next to godliness), sang a hymn, had to raise our hands to answer a question and then stand up when called on to speak, chant tables and repeat after the teacher some things about 'respecting our elders and betters' and knowing our 'god-given place in the social order'!

After an ice-cream, we were just in time for a tour of the foundry, before going to see the blacksmith, the 'squatters cottage' (A family moved to the area found work but nowhere to live, so built a cottage on the landowners land, which he did not object to, but then charged them rent for 60 years.  After that time however the cottage and the small plot it was built on then became their property).

Inside the two room squatters cottage, which at one time housed nine!

After a second visit to the sweet shop, and a visit to the wood carvers, where M asked if they had any offcuts she might be allowed and was given some advice along with a couple of small pieces of English lime wood, M also bought a cup and ball toy from the grocer's shop.

We then changed the remainder of our money back in the bank, where we learned a bit more about the florin (a 2 shilling piece, which had been a topic of conversation the previous evening in the youth hostel), that it had been introduced in Victorian times when decimalisation was wanted by the government of the time, as 2 shillings was a tenth of a pound.  However this idea didn't come to anything until the 1970s, when old florins were used a new 10 pence pieces and shillings were 5ps.

After a very long day at the museum, we were there from about 20 minutes after opening until about 20 minutes before closing, we headed back to the hostel.

As it was the last night, C did come for a sleepover with K & M, after they'd along with most of the other children had watched Frozen on dvd. 

The evenings were generally relaxed affairs with the children entertaining themselves and each other and the adults chatting elsewhere, but available to the children when needed.  I had taken along some crochet, which was at times rather frustrating and I ended up undoing and re-doing a significant amount (I think the pattern is missing two rather crucial stitches), I did however, with the help of quite a late night on the Sunday, manage to finish the bag I was making and I'm really rather proud of it!

Ta da!

The final morning was a return trip to Enginuity, where we had a look and a go at the various things there.

Trying to undo a 3d puzzle - nobody managed!

M & E knocking down the arch we'd just built.

KL had arranged a workshop on Forces that pretty much everyone, who hadn't had to dash off for various reasons, went to.  It was very good, with demonstrations on gravity, friction, air resistance and thrust, which I'll post about tomorrow!