Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire has been voted the UK’s best UNESCO world heritage site by the TripAdvisor traveller community.
The birthplace of the Industrial Revolution 300 years ago, Ironbridge Gorge came top of the list ahead of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney in the Orkney Islands, Scotland, and the Ruins of Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, which both came second and third respectively.
Ironbridge Gorge still fascinates to this day with world’s first cast iron bridge – built over the River Severn in 1779 as well as 10 museums spread along its banks and a host of other attractions.
Professor Les Sparks, Chairman, Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site Steering Group said: ‘This is a worthy tribute to the warm reception visitors receive from local businesses and residents of the Ironbridge Gorge, which complements the exceptional beauty and history of the area’.
Commenting on this massive boost to the local visitor economy, Telford & Wrekin Councillor Clive Elliott, lead member for Tourism added: ‘We are incredibly proud of the heritage represented by the Ironbridge Gorge and delighted that it has been recognised in this way.
‘It attracts visitors from all over the globe and we’ve worked very hard to protect, support and promote the area which has now been recognised on the international stage.’
The partnership between TripAdvisor and UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre launched in October 2009 to raise awareness of and gain travellers’ support to preserve natural and cultural sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
More than 1.1 million traveller feedback forms were collected in partnership with UNESCO, making this the largest study of its kind ever conducted.
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