Just across the road from the Museum of Iron in Coalbrookdale is Upper Forge Pool. The pool is the first of many which were formed by damming the brook running down the valley to provide reliable power for the manufacturing processes in this cradle of the industrial revolution.
Despite the crowds at the museum, the pool is tranquil. The paths round its shores are well used, but I’ve never seen anyone else there on my occasional visits. Bullrushes grow tall by the water’s edge, and a small flock of mallards swim around the pond.