ALL ABOARD FOR NOSTALGIA

Worcestershire's museum for buses, electric milk floats and other curiosities is fast gaining popularity

- SIMON HUCKNALL 

Transport Museum Wythall has has enjoyed a sharp increase in visitor numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic, from a previous best of 10,000 to last year's record 15,000. Given that we're talking about a bus-spotters' paradise here, and one that you'd imagine would appeal to a fairly niche, older demographic, a 50% increase in attendance seems remarkable. But thanks to a canny repurposing of the museum, Wythall has successfully managed to retain its loyal supporters while introducing a new breed of younger visitors into the mix. 

And for 2023, the former RAF airbase site just south of Birmingham, which houses 90 buses - many of which are operational - as well as a collection of historic electric commercial vehicles, expects to be even busier. "We could no longer rely on the traditional enthusiasts to sustain the museum," says Wythall's Denis Chick. "So we've broadened its appeal by telling the social and manufacturing stories behind the buses, which brings great educational benefits for children, as well as linking with their own family histories: 'This is the sort of bus your grandad would have gone to work on' - that kind of thing. In fact, we're now seeing some children returning to the museum with their grandparents in tow."

The volunteer-run collection's roots stretch back 50 years, after the Birmingham Omnibus Preservation Society - Transport Museum Wythall's predecessor - was formed by a group of bus enthusiasts committed to preserving what was left of Birmingham's pre-war service bus survivors. Five years later, in 1978, 1.17 acres of the current Wythall site was purchased and, after becoming a registered charity, the museum has gradually evolved, acquiring more land and constructing the three main display halls that now house a majority of its pre- and post-war exhibits.