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Ironbridge, like all the stations north of [[Victoria Bridge]], was built on the west bank of the [[River Severn]]. The river runs almost due east-west at Ironbridge, and thus the station was situated on what was effectively the south bank, immediately south of Abraham Darby’s bridge after which the town was named. The Gorge is very narrow at this point, and much of the station lay on an embankment and plateau supported by a 15 metre high retaining wall.<ref name = "Vanns38">[[Bibliography#Books|Vanns (1998/2013)]] p. 38.</ref>
The station was probably used more by the people of Broseley, situated about ½ mile away on the same side of the river, and the site of tile and clay pipe making industries. The 1861 census showed the population of Broseley as 4,724, larger than Ironbridge (3,154). Ironbridge town itself is on the north bank, and crossing the bridge required payment of a toll until 1950, a fact that undoubtedly discouraged passengers from Ironbridge using the station.<ref name = "Vanns38" /> Nearby [[Coalbrookdale]], also on the north bank, had its own station on the Wellington-Much Wenlock line.
[[File:OS Map IronBridge.JPG | 500px]]
At opening on 1 February 1862, the station was the second of five crossing points south of Shrewsbury ([[Buildwas]] being the first and [[Bridgnorth]] the next). Like all the main stations, Ironbridge had a goods yard and goods shed, although the latter was built of wood rather than stone.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Vanns (1998/2013)]] p. 41.</ref>
The station had a footbridge, adjacent to the station building, connecting the two platforms. The station building was on the platform to the north of the line (nearer Ironbridge), while the goods shed was to the south of the line. A road level crossing was situated immediately west of the station; this can be seen beneath the carriages in the Sellick photograph. The road led to [[Bowers Bower Yard Lime Kilns Siding | Bower Yard]] and also to the Iron Bridge.
A Great Western Type 5 brick signal box was commissioned in 1894 at a cost of around £1,545.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books | Marshall (1989)]] p. 131.</ref> This was located adjacent to the level crossing on the west side.
On 9 November 1895 the name of the station was changed from 'Ironbridge and Broseley' to 'Iron Bridge and Broseley' on the recommendation of the General Manager.<ref Name = "Marshall110">[[Bibliography#Books | Marshall (1989)]] p. 110.</ref> The reason for this is unclear as the town is normally referred to as 'Ironbridge'; however the latter name for the station continued in use as may be seen in [[Timetable: Severn Valley and Tenbury Lines 1959 | working timetables]] and on the running-in board in the Sellick photograph.
Provision of an additional goods siding at a cost of £90 was authorised in April 1908, and the signal box interlocking frame, level crossing gates, point and signal connections were renewed in 1916.<ref Name = "Marshall110" />. [[SVR staff in 1922#Severn Valley Railway (North of Bridgnorth)|GWR staff records for 1922]] show the station had a staff of 17, including those working at [[Jackfield sidings]] and [[Maw and Co's Siding]]. In 1926 a truck weighbridge was installed.<ref>Great Western Railway Magazine, January 1927</ref>
On 25 November 1956 the signal box at Ironbridge was closed and the down line and platform were taken out of use, ending the station’s use as a crossing point.<ref>[[Bibliography#Books | Mitchell & Smith (2007)]] 91</ref> By 1962 the upper floor of the box had been removed and a small ground frame was installed outside the door.
The site today has become a pay and display car park for Ironbridge visitors, with few traces of the station remaining.
{| class="wikitable |+ Early Station Masters at Ironbridge prior to 1939|-!Name!!Born !! data-sort-type="date" | From !! data-sort-type="date" | To !! Comments|-|Richard Young||22 September 1839, Shipton, Oxfordshire|| August 1863|| October 1866||Joined West Midland Railway September 1853. Station Master at Stourport in September 1866. Died 26 July 1906|-|Charles William Coldicott||26 June 1844, Honeybourne, Gloucestershire|| October 1871|| October 1897||Joined West Midland Railway July 1859.|-|Robert George Eaton||19 September 1861, Witney, Oxfordshire|| January 1906|| 1913||Retired 1913. Died 23 March 1936|-|George William Chadwick||1862, Marple, Cheshire|| By 1917|| ||Joined Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway July 1876. Died January 1934|-|} ===Traffic statistics===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ [[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership#Traffic statistics|GWR Traffic statisticsin commercial service]] for Ironbridge, selected years prior 1903 to 1939<ref>[[Bibliography#Books|Nabarro (1971)]] p. 55.</ref>1952
|-
! !! colspan="3" | Passenger Traffic !! colspan="2" | Freight Traffic !!
|-
|1938||style="text-align:right"|23,637||style="text-align:right"|23,712||style="text-align:right"|3,151||style="text-align:right"|27,170||style="text-align:right"|11,969||style="text-align:right"|15,120
|-
|1942||style="text-align:right"|33,466||style="text-align:right"|16,395||style="text-align:right"|5,083||style="text-align:right"|27,794||style="text-align:right"|X||style="text-align:right"|X
|-
|1947||style="text-align:right"|30,767||style="text-align:right"|13,278||style="text-align:right"|4,533||style="text-align:right"|13,792||style="text-align:right"|X||style="text-align:right"|X
|-
|1952||style="text-align:right"|16,392||style="text-align:right"|18,953||style="text-align:right"|4,656||style="text-align:right"|X||style="text-align:right"|X||style="text-align:right"|X
|-
|}
X: Information not recorded
==Historic maps of Ironbridge and Broseley station==
*1883 map with original 1862 passing loops
*1902 map with 1894 signal box
*1927 map with additional goods siding
<gallery>
File: OS_Ironbridge_1883.JPG | 1883
File: OS_Ironbridge_1902.JPG | 1902
File: OS_Ironbridge_1927.JPG | 1927
</gallery>
==See also==
*[[The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership# Map of the Route and Nearby Railways | The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership]]<br>*[[List of signal boxes#List of historical Signal Boxes and Ground Frames | List of historical Signal Boxes and Ground Frames]]<br>*[[Maps#Map 1 - Shrewsbury to Hartlebury | Pre-1965 Map]]*[[Shropshire Historic Environment Record]]*[[Variant spellings of SVR station names]]
==References==
