History Of The Bishop’s Castle Railway Museum

From the earliest times a museum in the town was planned, as several people had artefacts, documents and photographs that had been collected over the years, but were not available for display. It took until 1992 for a suitable building to be found. The opening ceremony taking place on 24th October 1992, the Museum being opened by Lord Ross of Newport, a former MP and rail enthusiast. The original premises were in Bull Street, and although very welcome were not ideally situated as it was off the main tourist route.

In 1997 the Society had to vacate the museum as the owners wished to sell the premises and leave the area. Exhibits went into storage and the search for alternative premises began. This was no easy matter as suitable buildings in a town like Bishop’s Castle are at a premium. However, a local family – Mr and Mrs Screen, came to the rescue and generously offered the building behind their chemist’s shop, which the society very gratefully accepted. This turned out to be one of Bishop’s Castle’s oldest buildings being 15th century and timber framed. After a period of fund raising, hard work and refurbishment, the museum was re opened by the Bishop of Hereford the Rt. Rev. John Oliver on 24th July 1999.

Disaster struck the museum however, on the night of 16th November 2000 when a fire started in an adjacent building and spread to the museum. The roof and upper floor were badly damaged, and although some irreplaceable BCR documents were lost the majority of the collection survived. Rebuilding and refurbishing the Museum took over a year, but eventually the doors opened again at Easter 2002. The museum itself has its own history and has visitors who come to see the building rather than the contents, as it is unique in Shropshire.

The Museum is staffed entirely by society members who open the Museum on a voluntary basis. The season usually runs from Easter to The end of September opening on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. New members are always welcome, and an afternoon spent stewarding the Museum can be interesting and rewarding.