Bressingham Steam and Gardens

Bressingham Steam & Gardens is a steam museum and garden centre located at Bressingham, west of Diss in Norfolk, England. There are three railway lines which take visitors around the gardens:

*The Garden Railway - RailGauge|10.25in gauge miniature railway

*The Nursery Railway - RailGauge|2ft gauge narrow gauge railway

*The Waveney Valley Railway - RailGauge|15in gauge miniature railway

The site also contains a short standard gauge section of track and standard gauge footplate rides are sometimes available to visitors.

The gardens were established by Alan Bloom MBE at Bressingham Hall. He moved to Bressingham after his previous site at Oakington in Cambridgeshire was compulsorily purchased. He was a plant expert of international renown, particularly in the field of hardy perennials. He laid out the Dell garden with its well-known island beds. His son, Adrian Bloom, laid out the Foggy Bottom garden.

Much of the site is given over to commercial horticulture. There is a garden centre on the site, trading as Blooms of Bressingham (a business now owned separately from the Bressingham Gardens and Steam Museum which is a charitable trust). The nurseries themselves are not open to the public.

tandard gauge steam locomotives

*LMS Royal Scot Class 6100 "Royal Scot" built in 1927. Undergoing restoration off site, expected back at Bressingham in August 2008.
*GNR Class C2 4-4-2 No. 990 "Henry Oakley". On static display, on loan from the National Railway Museum.
*GNR Class C1 4-4-2 No. 251. On static display, on loan from the National Railway Museum.
*GER Class T26 2-4-0 No. 490. On static display, on loan from the National Railway Museum.
*LT&SR 79 Class 4-4-2T No. 80 "Thundersley". On static display.
*NSB 2-6-0 No 377 "King Haakon VII". In working order, restored in 2006.
*LSWR B4 class No 102 "Granville" 0-4-0T. On static display.
*LB&SCR A1 Class 0-6-0T No 662 "Martello". Operational, usually on loan to other railways.

team Tractors

*Garrett 5 ton Steam Tractor "Bunty", built in 1924.
*Sentinel 11 ton Timber Tractor "Brutus", built in 1930.

team Wagons

*Foden Steam Wagon "Boadicea".

howman's Engines and Road Locomotives

*Burrell Showman's engine "Black Prince", built in 1935.
*Road locomotive "President".

team Rollers

*Robey (company) 4 ton Steam Roller "Barkis" built in 1925.

External links

* [http://www.bressingham.co.uk/ The Museum website]
* [http://www.bloomsofbressingham.co.uk/ Blooms of Bressingham]
* [http://www.dissexpress.co.uk/ Diss Express] - local newspaper website
* [http://www.bloomsofbressingham.co.uk/about/heritage.asp History of Blooms]

Other Places in Norfolk

*Bure Valley Railway
*Mid-Norfolk Railway
*North Norfolk Railway
*Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
*Yaxham Light Railway