Coalport China Museum — Attraction in The Gorge

Be EXTREMELY CAREFUL if you park close to the museum. The car park is run by a company called 'Park With Ease' who are very dodgy. They time your PARKING time from when you ENTER AND LEAVE THE CAR PARK, not the time between when you buy a ticket and leave. I parked for under half an hour, but - because oif their system for calculating time duration - was deemed to be there for 31 minutes. That was over the 30 minute free parking period. NowI have been given a £60 fine (£35 if paid within 14 days of the notice). I parked on 15-03-2022, they sent the notice out on 24-03-2022 and stated that they assumed it arrived two days later. It actually arrived on 02-04-2022. My appeal was ignored by them and I have been told that the 14 day reduced price period is NOT HELD to allow for an appeal to the Independent Appeals Service - effectively pressurising one into paying £35. Pretty obviously a 'just legal parking scam'.

UPDATE: I subsequently took this matter to the 'Independant Appeals Panel', who upheld my argument and cancellent the ticket charge. Fair enough, use parking management companies - but I STRONGLY suggest that you research them first. 'Park With Ease' have literally thousands of cases similar to mine listed online (some are even worse). Find a reputable fair company to use...

Great Museum, with something for anyone with an interest in pottery. Great getting inside a historic Kiln and learning the names and terms for everyone involved in the process of getting a plate onto someone's table. Quite an effort to load it up, protect the pieces from ingress of burnt particles, heat it up over the necessary period before cooling down and unloading. Old days used so much child labour and such health and safety issues. More people and trades involved than you might think. Fascinating seeing the initial conditions and dangers the staff faced in those days - dangerous chemicals that could posion you and dust that gets in your lungs. Interesting how many firings for the different colours and glazes. Chance to paint some pottery pieces and buy them. A range of things that you can buy in the shop. You can spend best part of half a day in there, the local clay used and the history of the factories involved. Some great exhibition pieces on display - such intricate workmanship, painting and guilding. Disabled access via a lift to avoid the stairs and steps. Car park you pay for at end, as number plate (sorry no pun intended) is read by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, easy to use touch screen that let's you pay by a contactless...

We greatly enjoyed this relatively small museum. There are quite a lot of steps in different sections, but there is wheelchair access wherever possible. We went during half term, when there was a "make your own" paid activity in progress with air drying clay. The staff are all friendly and I was astonished by the communal basin in the ladies' toilet, which would easily pass for a town fountain. But it wasn't working when I was there. The Museum make their own items for visitors to decorate (a small charge, aprons and paint provided), and sell finished items in the shop at reception.

Ticket prices include one year's return, like many of the other 9 Ironbridge Museums, but the only refreshments are at the Youth Hostel café next door, and rather expensive. Car parking is shared by the two buildings. I believe the Tar Tunnel is at the other side of the site, but we didn't see it. The glassworker who has a studio on site wasn't open, but has a display at the entrance and a studio and shop in the...