Transport Museum Wythall re-opening a resounding success

Published: 13/08/2020

Transport Museum re-opening a resounding success – much more to come!

• Museum now open on Wednesdays in August and on October 28th plus Saturdays through to the end of October
• Running days on August Bank Holiday Sunday/Monday and October 4th will feature visiting vehicles and sales stands
• J40 pedal car gathering goes ahead on September 27th
• End of season Twilight Running Day is back on October 25th

Transport Museum Wythall opened in doors on August 8th for the first time since October 2019 and it was a resounding success! Over 80 visitors, including many families simply keen to have an interesting day out, enjoyed themselves in the summer sunshine. Many paid the museum complements on the measures undertaken to protect against Covid-19 including plenty of new signage to ensure social distancing and frequent hand sanitising stations at a number of locations around the site and along the walking route.

Operating a booking-only system via its website, TMW operates a one-way system through its two main halls enabling visitors to see virtually every exhibit on display on a single tour. With the café set up within a new marquee in the grounds offering plenty of space to take refreshments in comfort and the shop open for purchases, the day was enjoyed by all.

‘After considerable discussion and planning, our volunteers put in a huge effort to make the site Covid-19 compliant and it definitely paid off’, said TMW spokesman, Denis Chick. ‘Our decision to not only re-open the museum but to also offer bus rides was the right one - in fact one of the first questions from visitors was ‘are there bus rides?’. With visitors coming on site at pre-determined intervals, separating family groups and individuals for a bus ride worked well with everyone wearing face coverings. We and our visitors are definitely ready for more!’

TMW is adding further time slots on the half-hour to the booking schedule as it is confident in managing higher numbers and is also planning to open on both the Sunday and Monday of the August Bank Holiday weekend - a free bus service from Birmingham city centre to Wythall is under consideration for this weekend, booking online is essential as seats will be limited.

The museum will be open on all Saturdays in September plus October 24th; there will be a running day on October 4th and it will be holding its highly acclaimed, end of season Twilight Running Day on Sunday October 25th. The season ends with a final flourish on Wednesday October 28th in the school holiday week. Full details, schedules and booking information can be found at www.wythall.org.uk.

One event that has been able to remain in the calendar for 2020 is the J40 Club gathering of these iconic pedal cars on Sunday September 27th. The public is welcome on this day so come along and see what very lucky youngsters were able to enjoy in the 1950’s and 60’s!

On Bank Holiday weekend, at the running day in October and at the Twilight Event, visiting buses in attendance. On Bank Holiday, Roger Burdett’s recently restored Coventry Daimler CVA6, GKV 94, will make its first public appearance and will be on service. The new Capital Transport book – Streets and Lanes of Midland Red - by our very own Malcolm Keeley and his colleague Roger Torode, will be on sale, delivery permitting. Sales stands will be in attendance at the running days and Twighlight Event subject to no further restrictive developments in Covid-19 restrictions.

Information on all the above plus further details can be found at www.wythall.org.uk. The Wythall Transport Museum Facebook page also features a walkabout of the new layout - www.facebook.com/TransportMuseumWythall/.