IRONBRIDGE FIREPLACE at NANTEOS
by Jan Joel - 19:46 on 23 November 2023
The fireplace in the Nightingale Suite at Nanteos features the Iron Bridge of CoalBrookdale, the cast iron arched bridge that crosses the River Severn in Shropshire. The banner on the fireplace reads ‘A View of the cast Iron Bridge over the Severn’.
The actual bridge, was built from 1779-1781, was a seen by the Coalbrookdale Company as an excellent promotional feature for their products, though It is not clear how many of these Iron Bridge fireplaces were made.
There are two types of fireplaces manufactured featuring the Iron Bridge. One reads "A View of the Cast Iron Bridge over the Severn" which were produced by the Carron Company in Stirlingshire, Scotland, and the other reads "A Plan of the Iron Bridge at Coalbrookdale" that were manufactured by the Coalbrookdale Company in Shropshire.
The fireplace at Nanteos which quotes ‘A View of the cast Iron Bridge over the Severn’ was most likely made in the late 18th or very early 19th century by the Scottish foundry the Carron Company, who were founded in 1759.
No records show the installing of the fireplace at Nanteos and It is a mystery as to why the fireplace design was chosen by the Powells of Nanteos. It can be clearly seen as a most outstanding piece to display in their fireplace.
(Information from the Head of Interpretation The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust Limited).
Jan Joel November 2023
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