Wirral Transport Museum

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Wirral Transport Museum
Wirral Transport Museum, Taylor Street, Birkenhead - geograph.org.uk - 1433326.jpg
Wallasey Corporation tram No. 78 in the tramshed, with Hong Kong tram No. 69 to the rear.
Wirral Transport Museum
Established1995
LocationTaylor Street, Birkenhead,
Merseyside. CH41 1BG
United Kingdom
Coordinates 53°23′46″N3°01′09″W / 53.3961°N 3.0192°W / 53.3961; -3.0192 Coordinates: 53°23′46″N3°01′09″W / 53.3961°N 3.0192°W / 53.3961; -3.0192
Type Transport museum
Collection sizeTrams, buses, other vehicles, static displays, model railway
Website Wirral Transport Museum
Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society

Wirral Transport Museum is a museum situated approximately 0.5 miles (800 m) from the Mersey Ferry service at Woodside, Birkenhead, England.

Contents

A vintage tram service links the museum and the ferry at certain times. Admission into the museum is free with a broad selection of vintage and classic vehicles, including trams, buses, cars, motorcycles, mopeds, bikes, and a fire engine. It also includes views of ongoing projects in the museum's workshops, a 26 feet long model railway layout, a reconstructed 1930s garage scene and various other transport-related static exhibits.

History

The museum was established in 1995 as the tram shed for the Wirral Tramway. In 2009, as part of its Strategic Asset Review, owners Wirral Borough Council planned to dispose of the museum, transferring it to a Community Development Trust. It recommended that "... the specialist role of the Transport Museum be protected as far as possible." [1] By 2014, the council was in discussions to hand over management of the museum to a volunteer organisation. [2] The museum volunteers and its staff look forward to developing the museum further.

In 2011, the museum welcomed comedian Ken Dodd, who took a ride on one of the trams for a BBC documentary. [3]

Owenership of the museum was transferred in March 2023 from Wirral Council to Big Heritage, a non-profit company that also runs the Western Approaches Museum and two visitor attractions in Chester. [4] The council revealed that it cost £85,000 a year to run the museum, which attracts around 6,000 visitors per year. Big Heritage were granted a 25-year lease and hope to increase visitor numbers to 40,000 a year.

Trams

Liverpool double-decker tram No. 245, outside the museum at Taylor Street in Birkenhead Liverpool Tram No.245, Taylor Street, Birkenhead (geograph 4533908).jpg
Liverpool double-decker tram No. 245, outside the museum at Taylor Street in Birkenhead

The tramway collection was set up in collaboration with volunteers from Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society. [5] The Wirral Tramway commenced service in April 1995 with the Hong Kong-built, 1948-style units. Operated under contract by Blackpool Tramways for Wirral Borough Council, who took overall control in 2005.

Hong Kong tramcar 69, which bears the name of George Francis Train & Phileas Fogg , received a new 'Prenton style' livery in 2005. Hong Kong tramcar 70, named Thomas Brassey after the well known 19th century railroad builder, has been painted in a fictional 'Birkenhead Blue' livery (which was only ever carried by the town's bus fleet after 1934).

Liverpool 245, a Baby Grand owned by National Museums Liverpool but kept at Birkenhead since 2006, was restored to operational use by the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society. [6] This was funded with the help of a £50,000 lottery heritage fund grant in 2010, with completion of the restoration in 2014. [7]

Other operational trams of the fleet include Birkenhead 20, Wallasey 78, Liverpool 762 and Lisbon 730. [8] Meanwhile, horse-drawn tram Liverpool 43 is on display within the museum. [9]

Buses

1943 Guy Arab Wirral Transport Museum, Taylor Street, Birkenhead - geograph.org.uk - 1433335.jpg
1943 Guy Arab

The Technical Custodian held a National / Standard (2) Operator Licence. On his retirement in January 2014 the entitlement for the museum to use vehicles on a hire and reward basis ceased.

Birkenhead Corporation

Wallasey Corporation

Crosville Motor Services

Other waiting projects

Former vehicles displayed

Static and other exhibits

A model of one of the former Bidston Dock cranes Model crane, Wirral Transport Museum.JPG
A model of one of the former Bidston Dock cranes

Numerous static or semi-static exhibits are on display at the museum. These include an example model of one of the cranes at the former Bidston Dock, model buses, model trams and a model of the former Mersey ferry SS Thurstaston. [20] [21] A 26 feet (7.9 m) long OO gauge model railway layout, a reconstructed 1930s garage scene and a shop scene are also present. [22]

Several vintage cars, [23] including an Austin 1800 dating to 1970, [24] an Austin 7, [25] a Morris Minor Traveller, [26] a Triumph Dolomite 1300 [27] and a 1946 Wolseley 14-series police car [28] [29] are on display.

Also on display are various vintage motorcycles, [30] including a BSA Bantam, [31] a Douglas, [32] a 1956 BSA C10L, [33] a 1938 Norton 16H [34] and a 1964 Honda CB92. [35] Meanwhile, mopeds on display include a Yamaha QT50 [36] and a 1967 Honda P50. [37]

See also

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