The Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester aims to preserve and promote the

public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

heritage of

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

in North West England. It is located in the Cheetham Hill area of

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Background

The museum was established in 1977 at Boyle Street, Cheetham Hill. It opened to the public on 27 May 1979. The day-to-day running of the museum is carried out by volunteers. The museum is housed in a former Manchester Corporation Transport

bus depot A bus garage, also known as a bus depot, bus base or bus barn, is a facility where buses are stored and maintained. In many conurbations, bus garages are on the site of former car barns or tram sheds, where trams (streetcars) were stored, and ...

, to the rear of a former electric tram shed on Queens Road, built in 1901. The museum building itself was added later and consists of two distinct halves, a dedicated bus garage completed in 1928, which now serves as the museum entrance area and upper hall, and a lower hall which was created in 1935 by constructing a roof over the open space between the tram shed and the 1928 bus depot. The former tram shed is still in use today as a bus depot, occupied by

Go North West Go North West is a bus operator in Greater Manchester, England. It is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. History Go North West commenced operations on 2 June 2019 following the Go-Ahead Group's purchase of First Greater Manchester's Queens Roa ...

. The whole block of buildings was Grade II listed in 1988 for its historical significance. The museum became a Registered Charity in 1980, and a Registered Museum in May 2003.

Collection

The museum holds a sizeable collection, including around 80 buses, one of the largest collections of its kind in the United Kingdom. Due to the size of the building, some vehicles have to be kept off-site, with exhibits changed around every so often. In addition, vehicles often attend events around the country in the summer months. The museum collection is constantly developing and restoration work can often be seen by visitors, of which 70 or so are kept on the site. Also in the collection are two

trolleybuses A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

from

and

Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. The population was 45,198 at the 2011 census. Historically in Lancashire, it is on the north bank of the River Tame, in the foothills of the Pennines, east of Manche ...

corporations, and the prototype body

Manchester Metrolink Manchester Metrolink (branded locally simply as Metrolink) is a tram/ light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. The network has 99 stops along of standard-gauge route, making it the most extensive light rail system in the United Ki ...

tram. In addition to vehicle exhibits, the collection of objects includes old transport signs, uniforms, vehicle fittings, ticketing equipment, and several items used by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

during the filming of ''

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban ''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and is the third in the '' Harry Potter'' series. The book follows Harry Potter, a young wizard, in his third year at Hogwarts School of ...

''. The extensive archive collection is available for research purposes by appointment and includes historic timetables, maps, books, posters, manuals and plans. The museum also holds a photographic archive collection, much of which is available online via the GMTS account on Flickr.com.

Events

The museum holds a number of regular events throughout the year. *March: Spring Transport Festival - Market day for specialist retailers and booksellers. *May: Themed event. *September: Trans-Lancs transport Show - held at

Heaton Park Heaton Park is a public park in Manchester, England, covering an area of over . The park includes the grounds of a Grade I listed, neoclassical 18th century country house, Heaton Hall. The hall, remodelled by James Wyatt in 1772, is now only ...

, north Manchester. The event is staged on the first Sunday in September. *October: Themed event. *December: The Christmas Cracker - Market day for specialist retailers and booksellers. For most of these events, a heritage bus service from

Manchester Victoria station Manchester Victoria station in Manchester, England is a combined mainline railway station and Metrolink tram stop. Situated to the north of the city centre on Hunts Bank, close to Manchester Cathedral, it adjoins Manchester Arena which was co ...

to the museum runs every 20 minutes between 09:50 and 17:00.

Location

The museum is approximately two miles north of

Manchester city centre Manchester City Centre is the central business district of Manchester in Greater Manchester, England situated within the confines of Great Ancoats Street, A6042 Trinity Way, and A57(M) Mancunian Way which collectively form an inner ring road. ...

, close to the junction of the A665 (Cheetham Hill Road) and A6010 (Queens Road). It is at the north end of Boyle Street, adjoining the

bus garage. The

Queens Road tram stop Queens Road is a tram stop in the suburban area of Cheetham Hill, Greater Manchester, England. It is on the Bury Line of Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system. History It originally opened as a staff halt stop only, serving the Met ...

on the

is 200m away. Bus services 41, 135 and 151 stop nearby. The museum is signposted from the

Manchester Fort Manchester Fort is a retail park in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester, United Kingdom. The property includes 36 units with a total floorspace of 325,000 sq ft. It opened in 2005 and its anchors included B&Q and TK Maxx. Henderson Global Inves ...

shopping centre. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays (except at Christmas and New Year), and every day in August.

References

External links