Thursford Collection facts for kids
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 1970s |
|---|---|
| Location | Thursford, Norfolk, England |
| Type | Steam power, entertainment and farming heritage |
| Visitors | 250,000 |
The Thursford Collection is a fun museum located in Thursford, Norfolk, England. It was started by a local man named George Cushing. This museum is famous for its huge collection of steam engines, amazing organs, and classic fairground rides.
Every year, the Thursford Collection also puts on a fantastic Christmas show. This show is so popular that over 100,000 people visit the Norfolk countryside just to see it! The Thursford Collection is also a registered charity in England, which means it's a non-profit organization that helps the community.
Contents
Meet George Cushing, the Founder
George Thomas Henry Cushing was born in Thursford on March 25, 1904. His father worked on a farm. George left school when he was 12 years old and started working as a farmhand too. But even as a child, he loved steam engines!
In 1920, he visited the King's Lynn Mart, which was a fair. There, he got a job driving a steam roller. George saved up £225 and bought a 1913 Aveling and Porter steam roller from the local council. He then started his own business! By the time World War II began, his business had grown to include 15 steam rollers and a steam wagon.
Saving Steam Engines at Laurel Farm
By the late 1930s, steam engines were not used as much for work anymore. Newer diesel trucks became more popular. George felt sad about this, saying it was "as though the crown jewels were being sold for scrap." He decided to start buying up these old steam engines that no one wanted.
He stored them at Laurel Farm, the very place where he had worked as a child and now owned. He and his wife, Minnie, raised their three sons there. George worked hard to fix up and restore all the old steam engines he collected.
The Thursford Museum Opens
As George's collection of steam engines grew, more and more people became interested. Enthusiasts would travel to Thursford to help him restore the machines and then see them. So, in the 1970s, George decided to open his collection to the public. He turned some old farm sheds into a museum.
George himself would often give tours to visitors. He usually wore a countryman's flat cap, a tweed jacket, and a muffler over a baggy jumper, trousers, and gumboots. He would shake each visitor's hand and, when they left, he would ask them, "Did yer loik it, then?"
At first, the museum was only open for a short time. But George made it bigger, adding a gift shop and tea rooms. He then opened the museum seven days a week during the summer. In 1982, he even helped write a book called Steam at Thursford. Because he worked so hard to save many of Britain's old steam machines, George was given a special award called an MBE in 1989.
The Thursford Collection Today
In 1976, after his wife Minnie passed away, George wanted to make sure his amazing collection would stay together for everyone to enjoy in the future. So, he set up the Thursford Collection as a special trust and charity. This meant the collection would be protected and continue to be a museum.
George Cushing passed away on February 26, 2003, when he was 98 years old. Today, his youngest son, John, helps run the Thursford Collection. It now attracts about 170,000 visitors every year!
The collection has many cool things to see. One of the most impressive is a huge Wurlitzer organ. It's the fourth-largest in Europe and has an incredible 1,339 pipes! This amazing organ was saved from the Paramount Theatre / Odeon Cinema Leeds.
You can also see a beautiful 19th-century gondola merry-go-round. This ride was built in Norfolk by Frederick Savage. It's decorated with special carved heads that look like Queen Victoria and her family, including the German Kaiser Wilhelm II.
