Heritage Centre re-opens and then closes on the same day
ON October 31, Ned Williams, premier local historian, cut the ribbon for the re-opening of Wolverhampton’s Tettenhall Transport Heritage Centre, and that evening Boris Johnson announced the lockdown which effectively closed it again.
The Centre had been closed since the first lockdown, and then to have its windows replaced. The 100 year-old windows on the Great Western Railway building, were replaced by specialist local historic window firm Drury Casement, of West Bromwich, helped by a grant from the Ibstock-enovert Trust.
Refurbish
The volunteers worked hard to replace and refurbish all the interior displays, and to build some new ones, including ‘The Blitz House’ a wartime living room featuring many of the domestic items donated over the years. Ned Williams kindly agreed to mark the re-opening of the new look museum, and braved the pouring rain to cut the ribbon.
Then that evening the volunteers were dismayed to hear that they would have to close once again with a lockdown starting the following week.
“We are free to enter,” explained curator Alec Brew, “so we rely on donations and what we sell in the shop to pay for our operating costs and capital projects like the new windows. We would like to
thank everyone who has contributed over the years, and are glad that some people were able to visit over the two days we were able to open, to see how improved the museum is now.”
Alec continued, “The Museum will hopefully reopen in December, Covid-permitting, when Santa has let it be known that he still intends to visit once again. Apparently the Claus family, and all his elves at the North Pole, are Covid-free.”