CASTLECROFT GOODS WAREHOUSE, CASTLECROFT ROAD, BURY, BL9 0LN
About the Museum
Castlecroft Goods Warehouse
dates from 1848 and was built
by the original East Lancashire
Railway to handle locally based
freight traffic being transported
around the growing railway
network. The building featured
three large doors on each aspect of the building - an
unusual feature for a railway goods warehouse. It
remained in railway use for more than 100 years before
being taken out of use by Britsh Railways during the
1960’s.
The warehouse was taken over for use as a depot for the contractors working on Bury’s new by-pass, which was built alongside the building. The by-pass now covers an area which was part of the Goods Yard. In 1972 the East Lancashire Railway Preservation Society relocated to Castlecroft, from their former base at Helmshore. The ELRPS volunteers quickly set to work transforming the building into Bury Transport Museum. The museum housed a number of historic road vehicles, steam rollers, and the railway’s growing collection of rail vehicles, as the volunteers worked towards reopening the railway between Bury and Rawtenstall.
The deteriorating condition of the roof led to the
closure of Bury Transport Museum in 2003, with a
number of support structures put in place to prevent
the roof from collapsing. It was decided that the
museum could not be reopened until the building had
been completely renovated, with the roof structure in
need of almost complete replacement.
In November 2008,
following the awarding of
almost £3m of grant aid
funding, work began to
restore the Grade 11
listed warehouse to its
former glory. Now the
building has been re-born
for future generations.
Bury Transport Museum looks very different from the one that closed back in 2003. Hands-on interact ive exhibits explain the development of transport in the North West, how the Goods Warehouse was used and the types of materials that would have been handled here. The museum is geared towards a family audience and there will be a varied events programme throughout the year.
Bury Transport Museum was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Gloucester on Friday 26th March 2010 and was open to all on Saturday 27th March 2010.
Facilities
We have a purpose-built
education room, complete
with modern facilities for use
by school groups visiting the
museum. This room is also
available for hire to local
groups.
The museum building and yard is fully accessible for visitors in wheelchairs with lifts to the platform levels and the education room. Blue badge parking is available alongside the museum building, for easy access to the main entrance.
Outside exhibition and events yard
The outside area in front of the museum building is used as an exhibition area for vehicles out of our collection during events. Visitors will be able to get close to these working exhibits and see them in action.
On occasions Bury Transport Museum works alongside other local attractions, such as the Fusiliers’ Museum and Bury Art Gallery and Museum, using the museum yard as a community exhibition space.
A picnic area for school groups and visitors is provided for use in the warmer months.
Download Leaflet
You can download a copy of our 2010 Visitor Guide (5Mb) by clicking here.
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