Ironbridge lays claim to being one of the birthplaces of the industrial revolution. in 1708 Abraham Darby started perfecting his technique of smelting iron with coke producing iron for much less. In 1781 the Iron Bridge was built here (where the picture is taken from). It was the first arch bridge to be built entirely from iron.
In 1401 Rhys ap Tudur and his brother Gwilym successfully captured the castle by posing as carpenters, killing the watchmen on duty, and opening the gates. They held the castle for 3 months before negotiating a surrender with Henry IV.