Sheringham Norfolk
England UK

If you have an interest in anything from the past which is driven by steam or Mechanical then Thursford Museum is the place you need to visit.

Thursford Museum houses the finest collection of Organs, Traction Engines, Steam Rollers, Steam Tractors, Fairground Rides and much, much more.

It was George Cushing's love of Steam Engines and the despair of watching them being scrapped and cut up that led to the beginnings of the Thursford collection.

George once said 'To me it was as though the crown jewels were bring sold for scrap, and pebbles were worth more than diamonds.  It seemed that the world had been turned inside out, and I would have bought them with my last pennies if I had had to'

And buy them he did, over the years, until his big shed and yard behind his home at Laurel Farm were full of disused engines.

In 1959 George bought a huge Marenghi mechanical organ, which he brought over from Ireland.

When the Gondola roundabout arrived in 1978, it was so large that a very big extension had to be built, both to house it and to give visitors enough space to stand back and look at it.

In 1976 the great Wurlitzer arrived and another extension was needed to cope with its 1339 pipes.

At the end of 1976, a Trust was formed, which cam into operation on 1st January 1977.   Its role is to ensure that the steam engines and organs are permanently preserved.

Telephone: (01328) 878477
EMail: admin@thursfordcollection.co.uk