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The steam hammer was invented by James Nasmyth in 1839. It allowed iron ingots to be forged into large shapes whereas previously it had to done manually with hammers. Coalbrookdale in the nearby Severn Gorge is regarded as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Iron was being made there 450 years ago, but in 1709 Abraham Darby successfully smelted iron with coke to produce wrought iron. Prior to that shapes could only be produced by casting molten iron which produced heavy and very brittle products which were of limited use. The discovery of wrought iron with its strength and ductility and ability to be hot forged into various shapes allowed iron to be used for all manner of things thus helping to bring about the Industrial Revolution. Link