We headed south from Cressbrook on the Sunday while we were in Derbyshire and paid a visit to the National Tramway Museum at the Crich Tramway Village, which is near Matlock.
In December, the Crich Tramway Village is only open at weekends, and it closes altogether just before Christmas, only reopening in February, so having used up Saturday resting up from our journey up to Derbyshire, Sunday was our only opportunity to visit.
We were blessed with reasonable weather, but figured that we could always duck into the museum parts of the site if it came onto rain. In the event, we spent a brief rainshower at the other end of the site in a little shop selling semi-precious stones, and with a mining display outside. (Where it was wet!)
On our arrival, we naturally wanted to see some trams first of all, so we walked down the Village street and stopped at the tram depot on the way by.
We also called in at the museum, where in addition to trams, there were audio visual displays of the history of trams, plus shops set up in the style of the tram era. There was even a fairground organ, on which I was pleased to mix old technology with new, as I put one of my prime lenses which is pushing 30 onto my digital camera, opened the aperture wide, and took indoor pictures without flash.
When we judged that the weather wasn't too threatening, we exchanged our old pennies (handed out on entry rather than tickets) for more normal tram tickets, and climbed onto a tram for a ride to the other end of the extensive site.
The views at the top were spectacular, but unfortunately it wasn't possible to get off up there, although a proposed development will make it possible in future years. Later in the day when it wasn't busy (not that it was particularly busy at any time on a chilly December day!) Stephen was allowed to pose in the driver's area of one of the working trams.
Having had our tram rides (we could have had as many as we pleased, but only two trams were running that day, a very pretty open balcony red and cream ex-Blackpool tram; and a Sheffield tram which ran until the last tram day in 1960 and is still painted to promote the last tram week) we strolled around the Village area, which recreates life as it was lived fifty or sixty years ago. The imposing building at the front of the site is the Derby Assembly Rooms, which were presented by the Corporation of Derby and re-erected at Crich Tramway Village.
Given a page all to itself is the Red Lion pub, which was rescued from demolition at Stoke-on-Trent and re-erected at Crich Tramway Village. I think it was worth the effort!
