Deep in the West Midlands, the River Severn carves its way through the Shropshire countryside.

在西米德蘭的深處，塞文河蜿蜒穿過什羅普郡的鄉村。

It's the longest river in Great Britain and its name is thought to be derived from a mythical

它是英國最長的河流，其名稱被認為是來自於一個神話故事。

nymph, Sabrina.

nymph, Sabrina.

Shropshire is peppered with the stunning Blue Remembered Hills that inspired the poet A.

什羅普郡到處都是迷人的藍色記憶山丘，這些山丘激發了詩人A.

E. Housman but this landscape is also the crucible where the industrial revolution was

E.霍斯曼，但這一景觀也是工業革命的熔爐。

forged.

偽造的。

As the River Severn cuts a path through a deep gorge, a monument to that tumultous era

當塞文河在深邃的峽谷中開闢出一條道路，成為那個動盪年代的紀念碑

looms over the water. The Iron Bridge. The stately arches of cast iron gracefully belie

在水面上隱約可見。鐵橋。莊嚴的鑄鐵拱門優雅地掩蓋了

the fire and force that went into smelting the structure into shape. The bridge was the

這座橋是用火和力量把它熔鍊成的。這座橋是

first of its kind in the world, standing in testament to Britian's pioneering of industry

這是世界上第一座此類建築，證明了英國的工業先驅。

on a mass scale.

在大規模的情況下。

It's hard to believe that this is the cradle of the industrial revolution. Today it feels

很難相信這裡是工業革命的搖籃。今天，它給人的感覺是

like a peaceful green haven. The Iron Bridge straddles the steep sides of the Severn Gorge

像一個寧靜的綠色天堂。鐵橋橫跨在塞文峽谷的陡峭兩側

and it's a testament to the ingenuity of the ironmasters who worked here for centuries.

這證明了幾個世紀以來在這裡工作的鐵匠們的聰明才智。

All of the raw materials required to produce iron can be found here: iron ore, limestone

生產鐵所需的所有原材料都可以在這裡找到：鐵礦石、石灰石

and coal. But it's not just the raw materials. The actual shape of the landscape played its

和煤炭。但這不僅僅是原材料的問題。景觀的實際形狀發揮了其

part. The steep sides of the gorge meant that water could easily be harnessed to power the

部分。峽谷的陡峭兩側意味著可以很容易地利用水來驅動

water wheels that in turn provided blast for the furnaces. And then there's the River Severn

水輪反過來又為熔爐提供鼓風。然後是塞文河

and this was the super-highway of its day. It enabled finished products to be taken away

這就是當時的超級公路。它使成品可以被運走

to market.

銷往市場。

Coal has been mined here since the middle ages but it was directly after the reformation

自中世紀以來，這裡就有煤炭開採，但直接在改革開放後才開始。

when land owned by monasteries came into the hands of entrepreneurs that industry really

當寺院擁有的土地落入企業家手中時，該行業才真正開始發展。

began to take off. That great symbol of the age of industry, the Iron Bridge, was begun

開始起飛了。工業時代的偉大象徵--鐵橋，開始了

in 1777 and finally opened to traffic on New Year's Day 1781 and it's remained open more

在1777年，它終於在1781年元旦開放了交通，並一直保持開放。

or less every since.

或更少，因為。

The bridge had a revolutionary impact on both

這座橋對兩個方面都產生了革命性的影響

technology and architecture and UNESCO declared it a masterpiece of man's creativity when

聯合國教科文組織宣佈它是人類創造力的傑作。

they granted Iron Bridge Gorge world heritage site status in 1986. The visitors who come

他們在1986年授予鐵橋峽世界文化遺產的地位。來到這裡的遊客

here today are only the latest in a long line of people who have been awed by this incredible

今天在座的各位只是被這一不可思議的現象所震撼的最新一批人。

structure. Few records exist about how the bridge was actually built but some interesting

結構。關於該橋的實際建造過程，幾乎沒有記錄，但有一些有趣的

experiments have been undertaken in recent times. But we know that a large wooden scaffold

近來已經進行了一些實驗。但我們知道，一個大的木製腳手架

was erected and that the majority of the work was undertaken in a few short months and without

大部分的工作是在短短几個月內完成的，而且沒有出現任何問題。

any major incidents. It was truly a marvel of its age. Abraham Derby III, one of the

任何重大事件。它確實是這個時代的一個奇蹟。亞伯拉罕-德比三世，其中一個

most important ironmasters in the area and one of a long line of Derbys to work here,

他是該地區最重要的鐵匠，也是在這裡工作的一長串德比人中的一員。

oversaw the work and it quickly became something of a tourist attraction with people coming

監督這項工作，它很快成為一個旅遊景點，人們紛紛前來參觀。

from throughout the country and even abroad to see it. Writers, artists and poets were

來自全國各地，甚至國外的人都來觀看它。作家、藝術家和詩人是

all struck by it and many fell back on the language of mythology to describe the bridge

所有的人都被它打動了，許多人用神話的語言來描述這座橋。

in this environment of industry. Gods and demons were described as being at work among

在這個工業環境中。神和魔鬼被描述為在工作中。

the smoke and flames of the furnaces. At this time, iron founding demanded huge skill and

爐子的煙霧和火焰。在這個時候，鐵的鑄造需要巨大的技術和

strength. But as the industrial revolution developed machines increasingly took over

強度。但隨著工業革命的發展，機器越來越多地取代了

from people.

從人。

Iron Bridge is a potent reminder of how industry transformed England and this imposing structure

鐵橋有力地提醒人們，工業是如何改變英格蘭的，而這一宏偉的結構

deserves a song which also has its roots in the industrial era. The Four Loom Weaver,

值得一提的是，這首歌也源於工業時代。四個織布機的織工。

sung for us by Abel Selaocoe, is one of our most iconic industrial ballads and it tells

由Abel Selaocoe為我們演唱，是我們最具代表性的工業民謠之一，它講述了

the human story that lies behind the mighty feats of engineering and manufacturing like

揭示隱藏在強大的工程和製造業背後的人性故事，如

the Iron Bridge. It features the lament of a poor weaver reduced to starvation and eating

鐵橋"。它的特點是一個貧窮的織布工的悲嘆，淪落到餓肚子和吃東西的地步。

nettles. Originally derived from a song called the Poor Cotton Weaver, it was rewritten as

蕁麻。它最初源自一首名為《貧窮的織棉工》的歌曲，被改寫為

this version during the economic downturn at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, at a time

這個版本是在拿破崙戰爭結束後的經濟低迷時期，在這個時期

when many hand weavers were losing their jobs due to the rise of the steam-driven weaving

當時，由於蒸汽驅動的紡織業的興起，許多手工織工失去了工作。

machines. It's a poignant document of the inequality that was rife in the industrial

機器。這是一份關於工業化時代普遍存在的不平等現象的悽美文件。

era and the sense of dispossession people felt as the onward march of progress reduced

在這個時代，人們感受到了被剝奪的感覺，因為進步的腳步在減少。

them to units

他們對組織、部門

of production.

的生產。