Ludlow take two

Yaa we now have a car to get around while we are in England. It's a Vauxhall Corsa and drives very well. We took off to Ironbridge which is the home of the first cast iron bridge and the area is a World Heritage Site. The bridge was finished in 1781 and the area was seen as the birth place of the Industrial Revolution as cast iron foundries were established and industries sprung up in the district. 

The Abraham Darby III  followed on from his father and grandfathers work in cast iron to make the sections for the bridge. The family were Quakers and we learnt a bit about their philosophy in that Quakers see all as equals and treat women as equals ensuring they were educated. They dressed more plainly than the other town folk but their homes were very warm and well appointed. They welcomed anyone into their meetings but were treated badly for their beliefs. Quakers refused to go to war, swear an oath and were against slavery.  This did not go down well with the rulers and as a result they were not allowed to go to university and could not become doctors or lawyers. They moved into business and commerce which brought the Darby family to Coalbrookdale and their work with iron. Later a town built up around the bridge and the area was renamed Ironbridge. 

We visited the houses of the Darby family and even got to dress up in period clothing. We visited the Museum of the Gorge which has a miniature town displayed and information regarding the problems associated with the polluting of the river over the ages. 

Last day in Ludlow:

We both took ourselves off to get hair cuts and for me some colour other than grey. Had a very chatty young women do my hair and enjoyed hearing about her travel plan for her honeymoon. 

Time to get packing and ready for tomorrow's drive to Exeter. We will miss this place and its beautiful landscape. Our next stop is a cottage on a property 30 minutes from Exeter. They have horses there but not sure what over animals.