Wirral Council have confirmed that Big Heritage Community Interest Company (CIC) have officially taken over the running of the Wirral Transport Museum on a 28 year lease. Negotiations between the two parties have been ongoing for some time but have now been concluded with work now expected to start planning for the reopening of the museum.
Big Heritage CIC have a strong track record of running museums and visitor attractions across Merseyside and Chester – including Western Approaches (a WW2 Top Secret HQ in Liverpool) and Sick to Death (a history of medicine attraction in Chester) – and plan to develop the Taylor Street Museum into an attraction which explores the history of transport in Birkenhead.
Speaking after the announcement that the deal had been concluded, Dean Patton, Founder and Managing Director of Big Heritage CIC, said: “Big Heritage can now begin work on transforming the existing museum into a vibrant and engaging space for visitors. Building renovations will develop spaces where visitors can explore Birkenhead’s rich transport history. Sitting alongside Big Heritage’s other attractions – Western Approaches and Grasshopper – the re-imagined Transport Museum will remain part of a vibrant cultural offering across Birkenhead that also includes Wirral Council’s Williamson Art Gallery and Museum and The Priory.”
Cllr Helen Cameron, Chair of the Tourism, Communities, Culture and Leisure Committee for Wirral Council, added: “There is real affection and enthusiasm for the Transport Museum, not least from the volunteers who have operated it in recent times. When we agreed the transfer earlier this year, it was on the proviso that their passion and hard work would be nurtured by the new operators and used as the base from which to build up the museum into an even more popular attraction in the coming years. I look forward to seeing Big Heritage’s big plans to develop the museum coming to fruition.”
The Wirral Transport Museum has been closed since mid-April 2023, along with the heritage tramway, initially announced to allow for maintenance works to take place with an ORR inspection due. The press release announcing the Big Heritage CIC takeover makes no mention of the tramway or when they are planning to reopen the museum to the public.
Big Heritage CIC are a not-for-profit company and so any surplus income generated will be reinvested into the Transport Museum of other Birkenhead attractions.
The Big Heritage projects at Woodside are part of a wider programme to reconnect Woodside to Hamilton Square and the rest of Birkenhead. £19.6 million worth funding has been secured from the government’s Levelling Up Fund to help achieve these aims. The scheme will also include major infrastructure improvements such as the removal of the gyratory and the relocation of the bus interchange area to create a new public space and replacement of the ferry landing stage.
I cannot imagine why the Wirral Transport Museum needs to be re-imagined. Note that Mr Paton does not mention the volunteers who have run the museum in recent and not so recent times.
You do have to wonder if Big Heritage have any kind of expertise in vehicle restoration, infrastructure maintenance, etc.
Somewhat concerning that this press release makes no mention of the efforts being made to reopen the tramway whatsoever.
I would politely suggest that before folks start making negative comments about the transfer of the museum to Big Heritage they might benefit from taking a close examination of the statements on their website relating to their plans and how the volunteers might fit in. The news item can be accessed here https://bigheritage.co.uk/an-exciting-future-for-wirral-transport-museum/ . It seems that Big Heritage have a wider plan including other heritage sites in the same area.