National Tramway Museum

Over het museum

The museum began in 1948, when enthusiasts on a farewell tour of the Southampton tram network bought an open-top tram for £10 and began to think about saving trams more widely. The Tramway Museum Society was formed in 1955 and became an educational charity in 1963. In 1959 it found the abandoned Cliff Quarry at Crich in Derbyshire, which became the museum site. The museum opened in 1963 with a horse tram service, and electric trams followed in 1964.

In 1967 the society decided to build a period streetscape around the tramway. Over the years this became a reconstructed village with a cobbled street, shops, the Red Lion pub, a tram depot and an exhibition hall, and the running line climbs for about 1.6 km to views over the Derwent Valley. The museum took the name National Tramway Museum in 1980, was known as Crich Tramway Village from 2001, and returned to its original name in 2026.

The collection includes more than 80 trams, mostly electric double-deckers built between 1900 and 1930, as well as trams from Sheffield, Blackpool, London, Prague, Glasgow and The Hague. The museum is run by a charity and receives no local or central government funding. It became an accredited museum in 2010.

Hoogtepunten

• Unlimited rides on vintage trams along a period street
• More than 80 historic trams from Britain and Europe
• Exhibition hall on horse, steam and electric trams
• Red Lion pub and shops in a reconstructed village
• Woodland Walk and Sculpture Trail, and adventure play areas

Vaste collectie

• Tramcar collection and exhibition hall – Indoor exhibitions on horse, steam and electric trams, including the inventions of Michael Holroyd Smith, with historic trams from Britain and abroad.
• Tramway Street and the working tramway – A recreated period street with a pub and shops, where vintage trams carry visitors out into the countryside above the Derwent Valley.
• Woodland Walk and Sculpture Trail – An outdoor trail through woodland with sculptures and views over the Derwent Valley.

Opgericht

1963

Beheerder

Tramway Museum Society

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

The prices shown are for tickets booked online at least 24 hours ahead (until 9:00 on the day of the visit); on arrival the adult ticket costs £26. Admission includes unlimited rides on the operating trams. Full-price tickets allow free return visits for 12 months, excluding special events, and a day ticket can be upgraded to an annual pass on the day for £8 (adult) or £3 (child). Blue Light, Museums Association and Caravan Club discounts are available on arrival only.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Ramps or lifts serve all visitor facilities, and a smooth route of granite setts runs through the site as an alternative to the cobbles. Accessible toilets are at the Red Lion pub, the Tram Stop Café, the Assembly Rooms and the Wakebridge tram stop; there is no Changing Places toilet. Wheelchairs can be borrowed from 10:00 to 16:00 and should be reserved the day before. There are 13 Blue Badge spaces near the main entrance. Most of the historic trams are not suitable for wheelchair users, and the museum is working on an access tram with a wheelchair lift. An accessibility map and a sensory map are available. As a historic site, parts can be challenging for visitors with limited mobility.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

The Discovery Depot indoor play area (for children under 10) and an outdoor play area with a castle, swings and a zip wire are on site. Free activity backpacks for ages 3 to 11 can be borrowed from reception, with themes such as storytelling and nature. The museum has signed the Kids in Museums manifesto. Smooth paths suit pushchairs. Baby changing facilities are in the Red Lion and Assembly Rooms toilets.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The museum is on Cromford Road, about 8 miles from junction 28 of the M1; for sat nav use DE4 5DP. what3words for the visitors’ car park: distanced.beams.museum.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

Tram Stop Café with a standard menu and a vegan and gluten-free menu, the Red Lion pub (open daily from 11:00 until 16:00, or 17:00 in the main season and at weekends), Barnett’s Sweet Shop, an ice cream kiosk in a converted vintage van and the Forge Gift Shop. Picnic areas are at the outdoor play area and along the Woodland Walk, and picnic tables stand around the bandstand opposite the entrance.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur

The Poulson Room can be hired for private events.

Je bezoek plannen