The industrial history of Blists Hill stretches back to the late 18th century. Various types of industry dominated the site throughout the Victorian era, but much has since disappeared. Over the centuries hundreds of people have lived or worked on this site, or in the buildings that now make up Blists Hill Victorian Town. These are the stories of a just a few of those people.
Emma was one of thousands of women who, during the course of the 19th century, made a vital contribution to the mining and iron industries of the Ironbridge Gorge.
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The Anstice family played an important role in the life and prosperity of Madeley throughout the 19th century.
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The school at Blists Hill was moved brick-by-brick to its present site from its original location in Stirchley, where it had been built in 1881. One of its many headteachers over the years was Margaret McCallum.
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William was an ordinary labourer at a colliery who made the ultimate sacrifice 'for King and country'.
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The story of Caroline York and her family shows just how easy it could be to lose everything in the late 19th century, and how hard families had to work to stay together.
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Henry Williams perfected an engineering design that connected Blists Hill with the River Severn, and ultimately the rest of the world, for the first time.
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