Bressingham Steam Museum

Bressingham Steam & Gardens is a steam museum and garden centre located at Bressingham, west of Diss in Norfolk, England. There are three railway lines which take visitors around the gardens:

• The Garden Railway - 10+¹⁄₄ in (260 mm) gauge miniature railway

• The Nursery Railway - 2 ft  (610 mm) gauge narrow gauge railway

• The Waveney Valley Railway - 15 in (381 mm) gauge miniature railway

The site also contains a short standard gauge section of track and standard gauge footplate rides are sometimes available to visitors.

History

The gardens were established by Alan Bloom MBE at Bressingham Hall. He moved to Bressingham after his previous site at Oakington in Cambridgeshire was compulsorily purchased. He was a plant expert of international renown, particularly in the field of hardy Perennial plants. He laid out the Dell garden with its well-known island beds. His son, Adrian Bloom, laid out the Foggy Bottom garden.

Much of the site is given over to commercial horticulture. There is a garden centre on the site, trading as Blooms of Bressingham (a business now owned separately from the Bressingham Gardens and Steam Museum which is a charitable trust). The nurseries themselves are not open to the public.

Standard gauge steam locomotives

• LMS Royal Scot Class 6100 Royal Scot built in 1927. Undergoing restoration off site, expected back at Bressingham in 2009.
• wikipedia:GNR Class C2 4-4-2 No. 990 Henry Oakley. On static display, on loan from the National Railway Museum.
• wikipedia:GNR Class C1 4-4-2 No. 251. On static display, on loan from the National Railway Museum.
• wikipedia:GER Class T26 2-4-0 No. 490. On static display, on loan from the National Railway Museum.
• wikipedia:LT&SR 79 Class 4-4-2T No. 80 Thundersley. On static display.
• NSB 2-6-0 No 377 King Haakon VII. In working order, restored in 2006.
• wikipedia:LSWR B4 class No 102 Granville 0-4-0T. On static display.
• wikipedia:LB&SCR A1 Class 0-6-0T No 662 Martello. Operational, usually on loan to other railways.

Steam Engines

Steam Tractors

• Garrett no. 34641 5 ton Steam Tractor Bunty, built in 1924.
• Sentinel no. 8756 11 ton Timber Tractor Brutus, built in 1930.

Steam Rollers

• Burrell no. 3993 12 ton roller Buster built in 1924.
• Robey and Co no. 425204 ton Steam Roller Barkus built in 1925.

Former collection engines include

Showman's Engines and

• Burrell no. 2701 Showman's engine Black Prince, built in 1935. Bought in 1962 and restored but not steamed for the last 20 years. (sold in 2008 to fund Royal Scott repair bill)

Road Locomotive

• Burrell no. 2789 Road locomotive The President built in 1905. (Sold in 200? to fund development work on the site)

Ploughing Engines

These un-restored engines were sold in 2007.

• Fowler no. 15236 Cissie type AA7 built in 1917
• Fowler no. 15237 Bessie type AA7 built in 1917

Steam Wagons

• Foden no. 13708 Steam Wagon Boadicea. Sold/loaned to The Saunders Collection as part of a deal to have the Sentinel steam bus "Martha" on long term loan to the museum.

These have all been sold in the interests of their long term preservation, as the museum did not have sufficient funds to restore them in the short & medium term without heavy borrowing. As the museum is currently undertaking a complete rebuild of the Locomotive Royal Scott which with extra works found needed upon dismantling and the rise in prices of metals during the works has pushed costs towards a £1 million repair bill.

All have been sold to new owners who have plans to restore them to full working order. The President has now been restored and was exhibited at the Duncombe Park Steam Rally in July 2009, were it won the trophy for best engine at the show.

See also

• List of Steam Machinery Manufacturers
• Museums List
• Collections
• Shows and Meets
• Clubs Listing

References

Based on wikipedia article

External links

• The Museum website
• Blooms of Bressingham
• Diss Express - local newspaper website
• History of Blooms