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Museums' reopening welcomed by hospitality industry

Charlie Stubbsin Ironbridge
News imageCharlie Stubbs / BBC There is a woman with black frame glasses, tied back brown hair and a black blouse. She is in front of a white wall with mustard coloured trimmings and mustard bricks in the bottom half.Charlie Stubbs / BBC
Jade van Jaarsveld said businesses like White Hart will welcome a flood of tourists back

Businesses have said they are preparing for a wave of tourists to return when a number of Shropshire museums reopen later this month.

Blists Hill Victorian Town plus The Museum of Iron and the Furnace Kitchen are due to reopen with remaining museums reopening "in a phased fashion over the rest of the year". The museums are one of a collection telling the story of the birth of the Industrial Revolution in Shropshire's Ironbridge Gorge.

Since the closure, some businesses in the hospitality sector have seen a drop in footfall from tourists.

In February, the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust's was taken over by the National Trust, thanks to the help of a £9m government grant.

The Gorge, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, had it's ten Industrial Revolution museums close whilst the National Trust installed their technology.

The organisation said work had "proved more challenging and time-consuming than originally anticipated," so there had been delays in reopening.

Jade van Jaarsveld from the hotel and pub White Hart, said the town has been "very quiet" so she's excited to see the museums reopen.

"We have had people come in from afar who've not known that the museums are closed when they've booked in to stay here with us... so there's been a significant sense of disappointment," van Jaarsveld added.

"We are just looking forward for people coming back really and for us being able to, in conversations with our guests and our customers, say look you can go here now and experience [the town.]"

News imageCharlie Stubbs / BBC There is a man who is bald. He has a brown beard with some grey hairs in it. He is wearing a black chef uniform with 'Nick The Boss' printed on it's right side and 'Truffles Cafe' printed on the right.Charlie Stubbs / BBC
Nick Barratt said his business had it's best day ever of trade last Sunday

However, trade has not been all negative for all businesses, as cafes like Truffles have experienced an increase.

Owner Nick Barratt said they are "20 per cent up on last year" and recently had one of their best ever days.

"I expected it to die off a little bit, but people are still coming to Ironbridge for whatever reason, even though there's nothing to see here [at the moment] apart from the lovely bridge," Barratt added.

"Normally, there is so much to do around here and that doesn't go away just because the museums are closed."

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