The Darby family
Gill West celebrates a Quaker tercentenary
Dale House in Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, was built between 1715 and 1717 for the English ironmaster Abraham Darby. Born into a Quaker family, he developed a method of producing pig iron in a blast furnace fuelled by coke rather than charcoal. This discovery ensured his legacy as one of the founders of the Industrial Revolution. Sadly he died, aged thirty-nine, just before the house was completed. His son, Abraham Darby II, an innovator like his father, was only six years old at that time.
You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.