Benthall Edge Wood forms a spectacular backdrop to the Iron Bridge. It runs along the southern slopes of the Gorge and rises 100 metres to a plateau above the River Severn.
Despite its seemingly pristine appearance, this remarkable woodland was once the scene of major industrial activity. Clues to this history are distributed throughout, with evidence of former quarries, mineshafts, adits, lime kilns, inclined planes and tramways.
Benthall Edge Wood is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), an area of national conservation importance. One of the critical reasons for its special nature is that the woodland marks a clear transition between lowland and upland types. Oak, birch, rowan and holly dominate the upper slopes, while ash and wych elm are characteristic of the lower slopes. The wood is also home to one of Britain’s rarest trees, the large-leaved lime.
Benthall Edge Wood can be explored in some detail in the Trust’s publications Benthall Edge: Five Historic Guided Walks and The Lime Trail of Benthall Edge