Has anyone been to Thursford recently?

[pete_mcfarlane]

I went to the steam museum at Thursford a couple of times as a kid in the late 1980s/early 1990s, and it was brilliant. Lots of nicely preserved traction engines, fairground rides and a quarry Hunslet giving rides round the site. There was also a daily recital around the Wurlitzer organ, but that was a minor sideshow.

 

A trip there 10 years ago was completely different - basically an over 60s coach party destination geared around the Wurlizer shows, with the NG railway disused and the traction engines shoved in to the corners of the hall. 

 

I'm back in Norfolk in a couple of weeks, so the question is whether it's worth another visit to the museum. Has anyone been there recently who can comment?

[geoffers]

Hi Pete. Have been past it recently and it is still open but suspect it is still as it was from your visit 10 years ago, Have not been in it myself even though I am over 60!  However here is the link for you to have a ferret in -             www.thursford.com

Santa' Magical Journey is offered.

[pete_mcfarlane]

Well we went last Sunday, which was the last day of their summer season. No railway these days, and no sign of the quarry Hunslet so at least it isn't rusting outside any more. I was pleasantly surprised with the museum itself - the steam rollers, Showman's engines, steam lorries etc were all well displayed, and some had been restored in the last few years. The fairground rides and steam organs were also working. There's an adventure playground as well 

 

On the minus side, the Wurlitzer concerts are a bit weird, and as the site seems to be mostly geared up for Christmas shows it's an odd mix of theatre and steam museum.  But still worth a vist.

[geoffers]

Yes but did you go on Santa's Magical Journey????  Glad you found it worthwhile.

[pete_mcfarlane]

I'll briefly resurrect this thread, as I bought a copy of 'Steam at Thursford' from the NVR's second hand bookshop last Friday.

 

I'm about a third of the way through it, and it's fascinating. The book is basically a transcription of George Cushing's oral reminiscences of his life, how he became interested in steam ,and how the collection was built up (the style of the book reminds me of the work of oral historians like Tony Parker and George Ewart Evans). So far I've read about his childhood, including a number of recollections of the M&GN lines in Norfolk. There's a wonderful anecdote about how amazed he was as a child to see a set of level crossing gates operated by a wheel from the signal box, and seemingly moving themselves with no human intervention. It's also interesting to read how important the railway station was to local life, and how people would congregate there on a Sunday night. 

 

Well worth tracking down a copy.