Aston Manor Road Transport Museum occupies the building which
was once Witton Tram Depot. It was built in 1882 and still bears the name of
Borough of Aston Manor Tramways Dep
ot
on a large stone sign above the front entrance. When you see inside the
building, all the original tram tracks are still there, although
the pits, which
stretched almost the length of the building between the tracks have now been
filled in. Originally the trams entered through the four large gates at the
front of the depot. The two outer gates remain, but the others are now large
windows. Although the overhead wires have long since gone, much of the original
wooden protection can still be seen in the roof. Whilst in that area we can see
evidence of another phase of the buildings history. On 4th December 1940
the roof was badly damaged by enemy bombing (click here for
pictures). The depot continued to operate without a
roof until after the War, when the centre section of roof was replaced. This is
still clearly visible today as it is of a different shape and construction to
the original roof which still exists at either end. The Depot finally closed in
November 1953, after which it was used for storage of buses. This was
followed by a period as a car showroom, and then after being empty, it fell into
a state of disrepair. If you have any photos or information about Witton Tram
Depot, please contact us,
we would be interested in any history of the building.
August 2nd 1986, was an important day in
the museum's future, it was the day we actually had the keys, and saw inside the
building for the first time. The building was totally empty, the roof leaked
badly and the tram tracks were covered with concrete (click
here for pictures). In the coming months, with the help of Manpower Services
Commission the place was transformed into what you see today. Grant-aid provided
a new roof, and the Museum was becoming reality.
Cast your mind back to November 1988,
Witton was in the public eye, it is where Prince Charles decided to hold his
birthday party. A few vehicles were here then, and gradually the collection grew
before the official opening in 1992.