Woodberry at Oxford 2014: Day 5, July 10: Trip to the Iron Bridge Gorge

Today the Woodberry in Oxford Group had to start the day a bit earlier, but that’s no longer an issue because I believe we have all finally overcome the jet lag. We met Paul our driver outside the college at 8:45 and began our two and a half hour drive to a town called Telford, deeper into the center of England. Telford was worth the drive because we were going to see the first ever Iron Bridge. It had been a major tourist attraction at its opening, and now largely remains so. It’s so important because it really started an industrial revolution, which not only got wheels rolling on the ground but in peoples minds. The small town was centered on mining, ironwork, and really great china pieces. After we walked over the bridge we then looked at two houses that were filled with original pieces of that time period. This allowed us to really imagine what life was like back then, and the people there were so helpful and nice, even when Badham set off an alarm with his eagerness to learn and get close to the pieces. To help us really understand what life was like, we went to the Victorian village, Blists Hill. Like Williamsburg in Virginia, this Victorian village had many workers and people dressed-up like they were in that period. I think everyone agreed that life would be really rough, especially after seeing the equipment they used for surgery. Once we were finished walking around the village we piled back into the van and made the journey back. We got back at 7 pm and we were treated to our first American meal of Pizza Hut, which I think everyone enjoyed.

William Jenkins