The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft

Attractions

Apart from our displays of trolleybuses, motorbuses and other vehicles, there are a lot of other things to see at our Museum. On a normal open day these include:

  • A selection of trolleybuses to ride on
  • Tours of the local area on one of our vintage motorbuses Show More
    These generally last around 30 minutes and cover part of the local area, which is reclaimed fenland and known as the Isle of Axholme. When available we provide a tour guide. All our motorbus services outside the Museum are free of charge and entry to the Museum is not a condition of carriage.
  • The “Sunbeam” Cycle Shop Museum Show More

    Cycle shops weren’t always the bright and well-laid out places they are today! They generally resembled an Aladdin’s Cave, every available space being filled with bikes, trikes, tandems and accessories, and with a distinctive smell. The proprietor would usually be wearing a brown dustcoat over the obligatory collar and tie. The Cycle Shop Museum recreates this unique atmosphere.
    The Toy and Model Museum has a selection of items that were produced over the last 100 years or so. Part of the display will be rotated from time to time, so there will new things to discover with each visit. The building housing the collection is interesting in itself; an early “Prefab” it was one of four built in Pelham Road, Immingham, in 1906 to house managers and key workers during the construction of Immingham Docks. This particular building housed the works baker and had a bigger fireplace than the others, which was fitted with a range. In its latter days in Immingham it had Grade II listed status. Donated to the Museum, it was carefully dismantled and rebuilt on its current site. Unfortunately, in the process it lost its listed status, being classed as a new build!
    After the Second World War there was a chronic shortage of housing. In part this was caused by the continuing drive to clear slums, but a lot of the housing stock had been destroyed by bombing. The solution was the “Prefab” home – factory made, shipped to site and assembled by a semi-skilled workforce, like a giant IKEA flat-pack. Usually with standard bathroom and kitchen equipment these look very basic to modern eyes but they were a vast improvement in the living conditions of many of the prefab dwellers. Although the prefabs were only intended as a short term measure with a limited life, over 70 years on large numbers are still standing – and loved by their occupiers.
    Another solution to the housing crisis by the Ministry of War was to buy life-expired buses, convert them to homes and allocate them to returning ex-servicemen: we have an example of one of these, but unfortunately it has had to be moved to undercover storage to prevent further deterioration.
  • Traditional shop window displays
  • The “Regal” Lecture Theatre and Cinema Show More
    Films of UK and modern overseas trolleybus systems are shown in the ‘Regal’ on open days. Presentations are also held on the museum’s history and how a trolleybus works. We can even show a selection of short children’s films if you want! The auditorium also contains exhibits of film and home entertainment from the 1920’s and 30’s.
  • Our open areas, including a nature trail
  • Visiting attractions and special events

 

Here’s a useful map of the Museum – just hover over it to enlarge it: