Tar Tunnel
With a National Art Pass you get
The Tar Tunnel is amongst the oldest tourist attractions in the Ironbridge Gorge.
Be prepared to don a hard hat if you want to visit the eerie underground tar tunnel. Over 200 years after miners first struck a spring of natural bitumen, the black treacle substance still oozes through the walls and wells up in puddles.
Along the tunnel path, visitors are invited to crouch and peer inside miniature caverns to see the thick pools of liquid tar.
Back in the late 1700s, bitumen was turned into pitch, lamp black and rheumatical remedies and a visit to the tunnel will explain how the early industrialists of the Gorge overcame the natural obstacles.
There's also a chance to see the Hay Inclined Plane, an invention from the early 1790s that was designed to move tub boats between the Shropshire Canal at the top of the hill and the Coalport Canal at the bottom.
Visitor information
Address
High Street, Coalport, Telford, Shropshire, TF8 7HT
01952 433424
Opening times
Summer opening only. Check website for details.
Exclusions and safety measures
The Tar Tunnel is currently closed and will reopen for pre-booked guided tours, on Fridays & Sundays at 11am, 12.30pm, 2pm or 3.30pm, from 29 July until 11 September only.
It is closed at all other times.
Visitor information
The more you see, the more we do.
The National Art Pass lets you enjoy free entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, while raising money to support them.