Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life
The main museum building
Location	Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life, Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire
Area	22 acres (9 ha)
Built	1836 (industrial site)
Original use	Summerlee Iron Works
Restored	1988 (museum opening)
Current use	Site museum
Visitors	180,000 annually
Governing body	North Lanarkshire Council
Owner	Industrial Museums Scotland
Website	Go Industrial Sumerlee Museum
Scheduled monument
Official name: Summerlee Iron Works, furnaces, furnace bank and associated works
Type	Industrial: iron and steel; kiln, furnace, oven
Designated	1995-02-06
Reference no.	SM6164
Scheduled monument
Official name: Monkland Canal, Gartsherrie Branch, Summerlee
Type	Industrial: inland water
Designated	16/12/2013
Reference no.	SM11340

Summerlee Museum of Scottish Industrial Life is a fun and educational museum in Coatbridge, Scotland. It shows what life was like during Scotland's industrial past. The museum is built on the site of the old Summerlee Iron Works.

The museum explores the history of engineering, mining, and steel making in the area. It also shows how ordinary people lived and worked. You can enjoy many hands-on displays and special exhibitions. Best of all, it's free to visit!

The museum is spread over 22 acres. It has historic steam trains, old-fashioned trams you can ride, and even a replica canal boat. There's also a large play area, a mine to explore, and a row of old miners' houses.

Step Back in Time at the Miners' Row

The Miners' Row shows what workers' homes looked like from the 1880s to the 1980s. You can walk through houses decorated for different time periods. One house from the 1940s even has a "Dig for Victory" garden and an air-raid shelter.

There is also a sweet shop in the row that sells old-fashioned candy. This area is so realistic that it's often used as a set for movies and TV shows.

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  A look at the Miners' Row from 1840 to 1910

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  The Miners' Row from 1940 to 1980

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  Inside a living room from the 1980s

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  A typical living room from the 1960s

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  A house decorated like it was in 1910

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  A peek inside a home from 1840

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  A kitchen from the 1940s

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  Gardens outside the miners' houses

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  The inside of a house from 1880

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  A bathroom from the 1960s

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  A living room from the 1940s

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  A kitchen from the 1960s

Ride the Historic Summerlee Tramway

The museum has its own working tramway, which opened in 1988. For 26 years, it was the only historic tramway in Scotland! Riding the tram is a great way to see the whole museum site.

The tramway was started by a group of volunteers called the Summerlee Transport Group. They help keep the trams running. While the first trams were from other European countries, the museum now focuses on using classic British trams, especially those with a local history.

Trams You Can See at the Museum

Here are some of the special trams that have been part of the museum's collection.

Original System	Car Number	Built	Seats	Livery	Status	Notes	Image
Lanarkshire Tramways Company	53	1908	59	Green and white	Operational	This open-top double-decker tram is a star on sunny days. It once ran in the local area. After the tramways closed in 1931, it was sold to a farmer and used as a hay store! It was rescued and carefully restored at Summerlee.
Düsseldorf, Germany	392	1951	10	Cream	Operational	This German tram is special because it has a wheelchair lift. It was bought for a tiny price, but it cost thousands of pounds to ship it to Scotland and add the lift.
Glasgow Corporation Tramways	1017	1904	20	Orange and cream	Operational	This tram started as a double-decker in Paisley. It was later used in Glasgow to train new tram drivers. That's why it was called the "School Car." It took ten years to restore it at Summerlee.
Glasgow Corporation Tramways	1245	1939	64	Orange, green and cream	Undergoing restoration	Known as a "Coronation" tram, this one used to run right through Coatbridge. After it was retired, it was saved and brought to Summerlee. It is being restored to its former glory.
Brussels, Belgium	9062	1959	18	Cream	Scrapped	This was the very first tram to run at Summerlee. It was a reliable tram for many years. Sadly, it was damaged in 2004 and had to be scrapped.
Graz, Austria	225	1949	16	Purple	Scrapped	This Austrian tram was a hard worker at the museum for many years. It was even painted purple for the Queen's Golden Jubilee. It was retired in 2006 and later scrapped.

Explore the Railway Collection

Summerlee has an impressive collection of old trains and locomotives. Many of them worked in Scotland's coal mines and factories.

Name	Number	Builder	Type	Date	Livery	Notes	Image
	11	Gibb and Hogg	0-4-0ST	1898	Dark Green	This steam engine worked for the Fife Coal Company. It is the only surviving locomotive made by its builder, Gibb and Hogg of Airdrie. It is now on display inside the exhibition hall.
	9	Hudswell Clarke	0-6-0T	1909	Light Green	This engine also worked for the Fife Coal Company. You can see it on display outside, next to the main railway line.
Springbok	4112	North British Locomotive Co.	4-8-2+2-8-4 Garratt	1956	Black	This huge locomotive came all the way from South Africa! It is a special type called a Garratt engine. It is displayed outside the museum.
Robin		Sentinel	4wVB	1957	Blue	This small but powerful engine worked at a local foundry in Coatbridge. It is now on display outdoors.
	5	Barclay	0-4-0DH	1966	Red	This is a diesel-hydraulic locomotive, not a steam engine. It is displayed outside near the railway line.

Electric Train

Number	Builder	Type	Status	Date	Livery	Notes	Photograph
Unit 311103	Cravens	BR Class 311	Undergoing restoration.	1966	BR Blue	This is part of an electric train that used to run on the Glasgow rail network. It is being restored at the museum.

Other Amazing Transport

• The Vulcan Barge: The museum has a replica of the Vulcan, the world's first boat made entirely of iron. The original was built in 1819. This replica was made in 1988 and is now displayed on the Monkland Canal which runs through the museum grounds.

See also

• Beamish Museum - an industrial museum in the North East of England
• Black Country Living Museum - an industrial museum in the West Midlands conurbation
• Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings in Bromsgrove, West Midlands
• East Anglia Transport Museum - a transport museum in Suffolk
• Riverside Museum
• Titan Clydebank
• Scottish Maritime Museum
• National Tramway Museum, - located in Crich, Derbyshire
• The Trolleybus Museum at Sandtoft
• St Fagans National History Museum - Museum of Welsh Life, Cardiff, Wales.