Archaeological Discovery In England 'Changes History'

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Archaeological Discovery In

England 'Changes History'

BBC News

8-19-4

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/3576066.stm

'A team of archaeologists working in the Ironbridge Gorge have found

the remains of a 17th Century steel furnace.

 

The furnace, at Coalbrokdale, is believed to be the oldest of its

type in England and possibly the world.

 

Experts say it was built in 1620 - nearly 100 years before the

arrival of Abraham Darby, one of the pioneers of the Industrial

Revolution.

 

Paul Belford from the Ironbridge Gorge Museums Trust in Shropshire

says it is a remarkable discovery.

 

'Industrial revolution'

 

"The idea that an industrial revolution suddenly began in the mid

18th Century is no longer tenable," he said.

 

"The development of industrial capitalism happened over a much longer

period."

 

The furnace was discovered in the fourth year of a five-year dig

project at the Coalbrokdale site which involves students from the UK,

Canada and the United States as well as schoolchildren and

volunteers.

 

Mr Belford added: "This project has placed the events of the

industrial revolution in a new light.

 

"There is no doubt that high-tech industry was already established in

the 17th Century.

 

"The well-known 18th Century names in school textbooks were merely

standing on the shoulders of giants."

 

© BBC MMIV http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/3576066.stm