You may have been thinking you hadn’t heard a lot about the plans for the Wirral Transport Museum and Heritage Tramway for a while, in fact very little has been reported ever since the “Merseyside Three” trams departed for their new lives at Crich. The reason for the apparent silence has now been revealed in the local press with reports that Big Heritage have tried to start legal action against Wirral Council’s decision to remove funding worth £4.5 million from the museum.
Big Heritage CIC were awarded a 25 year contract to operate the museum and tramway in 2023. At the time they revealed grand plans to make it a major attraction in the region, with daily opening and the hopes that they would be able to reopen the tramway, which closed in 2023 along with the museum.
It was said that as part of the contract they would be given £4.5 million in funding from Wirral Council which would help with their developments. However, subsequently the Council decided (in March 2025) to remove the majority of this cash, and that’s where the problems have started.
Big Heritage have claimed that council officers had access to a report which was reviewing the funding before it was published and that the then Regeneration Director, Marcus Shaw, was specifically looking for reasons why the funding could be removed. Obviously, both of these claims were denied by the Council.
And now Big Heritage are trying to appeal the decision but they have been told that they submitted a case one day too late and as such it was rejected. A previous attempt to appeal in October 2025 had also been rejected. The Liverpool Echo is now suggesting that they may take the case to the High Court.
The result of all this is that the museum, which is still home to Liverpool 245, Hong Kong trams 69 and 70, as well as the Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society’s partly restored Warrington 28, remains closed and there seems little prospect of either it or the tramway opening any time soon. What all this means for the apparent 25 year lease Big Heritage hold remains to be seen but its probably fair to suggest the relationship between the CIC and the Council is a little on the strained side.
Given how things have gone in Blackpool and the priorities that Councils are forced to consider, I would expect that there will be little hope for Big Heritage to resolve anything with Wirral Council. If I recall correctly, the Council had to make the tough decision to divert funding to support retail, including Birkenhead Market, which would support the local economy. I’m not in any position to comment on the advantages of the matter being taken to the High Court, but such things are often a significant gamble, with the risk of losing a case and in so doing depleting funds even further.
On the matter of trams for operating any service, I should think that three cars would be quite sufficient given that the route is very short. I believe that 245 would appeal to the visitors, while 69 and 70 are not uninteresting. The options for 28 seem to be either a long wait in Birkenead for restoration or an equally long time (if not more) languishing at Clay Cross.
28 is virtually complete. Its not waiting for restoration, its waiting to be FINISHED. Big differencw.
Wirral Borough Council are an appalling set up. Years ago I was part of the team that created the Shore Road Museum at Woodside where the original grasshopper engine was still in place alongside the current electric pumps that keep the Merseyrail Tunnels dry.
The restoration and amalgamation of interpretive material was undertaken, a complex legal arrangement concluded and a showy formal opening held with exhibits from the Transport Museum but did it ever actually open??? I never saw the doors open. Then there’s the derelict 626 ………………. Not very tram friendly the North West these days!
626 has nothing to do with Wirral Council!!!!
‘British Trams Online reported on the sad fate of 626 in November 2023, as follows:-
‘With Brush Cars in the news again recently following the move of the Fylde Transport Trust’s 634 from Blackpool to the East Anglia Transport Museum we now take a look at what could be described as the forgotten Blackpool Brush Car.
626 was one of three of the single deck Railcoaches to undergo a major overhaul in the 1990s featuring some modern features but whereas the other two (630 and 631) have enjoyed a secure future since, this tram has not been so lucky.
Repainted into a smart green and cream livery it was somewhat of a surprise when 626 was sold to Merseytravel who were acquiring a number of trams for their ambitious proposals under the Wirral Waters banner which would have seen an extended tramway serve it. Although initially transferred to the Wirral Heritage Tramway it would never be destined to carry passengers there and would eventually depart from the site and move to storage.
626 – which had ownership transferred to Peel Holdings – has been in outside storage on Birkenhead Docks for over five years now and sadly, as with anything stored in the open, those five years have not been kind to the tram. As well as the expected deterioration as a result of being exposed to the elements it has also been subject to vandalism with the majority of the windows now smashed.
Development work at the Docks is continuing and is growing ever closer to 626. What the future holds for the tram remains uncertain.’
Perhaps ‘storage’ is a rather generous term for what is currently the situation?!
Maybe Crich would be glad of the salvageable parts of 626 to maintain 630. If things ever do work out in Blackpool, such parts could also prove beneficial there. In general, where there are duplications of historic trams, it would be good practice to canibalise the least likely ever to run again in order to ensure that those that can be pressed into service can more easily be maintained. I know this has happened at Crich, including the time they acquired a redundant Blackpool Standard (158) for this purpose and more recently a few parts from Blackpool Cenetenary Car 641 for the 645 accessible tram project.