New permanent display at the refurbished Monkwearmouth Station Museum set to open 22 October
The classic Rover P4 arrives at the Sidings at Monkwearmouth Station Museum
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Two important railway vehicles which have been parked in the Sidings area at Monkwearmouth Station Museum since 1977 have undergone extensive conservation and restoration work and will feature in the new development at the Museum due to open the end of October. The Sidings closed 2005 to allow a new building to be constructed which will house the vehicles.
The newly restored Covered Carriage Truck will hold a classic 1963 Rover P4 car, on loan from the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu, Hampshire as part of the new displays. The car is typical of those carried on British Railways Motorail services in wagons of this type during the late 1950s and 1960s.
Martin Routledge, Keeper of History at Sunderland Museums, says:
“These wagons are a true rarity; if they could talk they could tell fascinating stories of their role, and that of the railways, in delivering the raw materials and products of British industry as well as moving people’s belongings around.
“It’s been very exciting to see the final pieces of the new displays come together, with the arrival of the classic Rover P4 the displays are coming life”.
Jo Cunningham, Manager of Sunderland Museums said:
“It was great seeing the car arrive and the wagons are immaculate thanks to many hours of specialist conservation work.
“We’re looking forward to sharing this with our visitors - it’s a whole new era for Monkwearmouth with so much more to see and do in our new permanent display.”
The wagons are a Covered Carriage Truck built at Darlington in 1939 by the London and North Eastern Railway and a Goods Brake Van built at Shildon by the North Eastern Railway in 1916.
Rovers were top-of-the-range family cars built to high standards of quality and luxury. They became known as ‘the poor man’s Rolls-Royce’. Made in Solihull, near Birmingham, this car has a 2.6 litre engine and a top speed of just over 100 mph. It became part of the National Motor Museum’s collection in 2005, having had only one owner from new.
The displays, interactives and films in the Wagon Shed will tell the remarkable stories of these vehicles and the important role the railways have played in our history.
The Museum is open Monday - Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sunday 2pm - 5pm and has free entry.
Notes to Editors
The museum is housed in an outstanding grade 2* listed 1840s station building commissioned by the famous railway entrepreneur George Hudson. The magnificent portico leads into a grand entrance hall and well preserved booking office, both of which display many original features such as the ticket booths, fireplaces and shuttered windows. The Platform Gallery gives a good view of the railway bridge and the trains passing by on the tracks.
Monkwearmouth Station Museum is open Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm and Sunday 2pm – 5pm. Free entry.
Monkwearmouth Station Museum is managed by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums on behalf of Sunderland City Council