Horsehay brings together two distinct themes for planning your trip: a designated natural area with two pools and a rich railway history. There is also evidence of the area’s industrial past and several ways to explore the surroundings on foot or on a golf course. Which of these aspects you focus on depends on whether you are looking for landscapes, industrial history or an active route.
The natural area around Horsehay and Simpsons Pools
Horsehay and Simpsons Pools were designated a Local Nature Reserve in 2024 and together cover seven hectares. Of this, three hectares are Horsehay Pool and four hectares are Simpsons Pool. These figures give a clear overview of the two bodies of water: Simpsons Pool is larger in area, while Horsehay Pool is a large, mature lake surrounded by woodland and grassland.
The landscapes also differ. Simpsons Pool is a deep lake in a former quarry; nearby broadleaf woodland provides a habitat for birds and small mammals. At Horsehay Pool, the woodland and grassland shape the landscape alongside the lake. This means the designated nature area includes both a former quarry lake with broadleaf woodland and a lake with open and wooded areas. If you would like to include nature and landscape in your trip, you will find two clearly distinct perspectives here rather than a single, uniform lakeside scene.
Railways and the industrial past
At Telford Steam Railway, the standard-gauge railway is the main attraction. Its route passes through the Grade II listed Heath Hill Tunnel. Visitors can experience a different gauge on the narrow-gauge Thomas Telford steam tramway, which runs around Horsehay Pool to the Old Loco Shed. The two railway attractions therefore differ in both gauge and the journeys described. The Telford Steam Railway site also has three model railway exhibitions.
In 2026, the Railwayana Museum beside Horsehay Pool is also part of the visitor exhibitions on offer. It displays artefacts from the local railways; check the seasonal dates before visiting. Another, smaller railway can be found near Spring Village platform: the 5-inch-gauge miniature railway is operated by the Phoenix Model Engineering Society and uses steam and battery-electric diesel locomotives. It runs on Telford Steam Railway operating days. This is important when planning, as the miniature railway is tied to those operating days.
Horsehay’s industrial history dates back to the mid-18th century. Horsehay grew up around Horsehay Ironworks, which Abraham Darby II had built between 1754 and 1757. By 1755 at the latest, Horsehay’s first blast furnace was in operation as part of the Coalbrookdale Company. Horsehay Pool was created by building a dam across a nearby stream; the stream provided power through waterwheels and steam engines. This connects water engineering with industrial history without reducing the pool’s origins to a single industrial landmark.
The built environment is also part of this story: Horsehay and Spring Village was designated a Conservation Area in 1999. Old Row Cottages date from the 1750s and served as accommodation for workers at Horsehay Ironworks. The surviving evidence therefore ranges from the blast furnace and industrial site to the homes of its workers.
Routes and other activities
There are two circular walks starting in Horsehay to choose from: one is 2.3 miles long and the other 3.75 miles. The distances help you choose how much time to set aside, without specifying a walking time or a particular level of difficulty. As a separate option, stage four of the Telford T50 runs nine miles from Wellington to Horsehay. It is considerably longer than the two circular walks and can therefore be considered a different scale of route for planning; the stage description names Wellington and Horsehay as its start and end points.
For golf enthusiasts, the course at Horsehay Village Golf Club offers another useful point of comparison: it has 18 holes and a par of 70, and measures 5,974 yards from the white tees. Its described character combines grassland with links-style features. The course was laid out in the mid-1990s on the site of a former opencast mine. Here, then, a present-day golf course and a former use of the land come together. The course details offer an objective guide to the facility without presuming a particular playing style or personal suitability.
Discover more destinations: Wellington, Wrockwardine, Hadley, Coalport, Rodington, Admaston, Telford, Coalbrookdale.
For the main travel overview: Telford And Wrekin.
