The Ipswich Transport Museum was founded in 1965 as the Ipswich Transport Preservation Group, and since that time a collection of over 100 major transport and engineering objects has been built up to give a fleet of exhibits second to none in the country. We are an Arts Council 'Accredited Museum' run entirely by volunteers. We welcome around 10,000 visitors every year. The key and unique theme of the museum is 'Made or Used in Ipswich'. That means everything we display was either made or used here. A significant proportion of our exhibits were actually built in the Town. Many are rare and are recognised as being of national as well as local importance. Until 1988 our objects were housed in a disparate number of different storage places around Ipswich, ranging from sheds to barns and some in open storage areas. The frequent moves from one place to another, coupled with the problems of vandalism and weather damage has made their survival even more remarkable. In 1988 the Museum was granted a licence to occupy two thirds of the former Priory Heath Trolleybus Depot, and this enabled the many exhibits to be gathered together under one roof for the first time in their lives. A major lottery funded refurbishment scheme enabled the building to be modernised in 2001, and since then the site has been developed and improved into a marvellous educational resource.

We aim to provide an environment where people with an interest in the transport or engineering history of the Ipswich area can increase their knowledge through study and research and share that information with other individuals and organisations. The Museum does not "belong" to any specific group of people. It is an institution for the benefit of everyone in the Ipswich area and we welcome all who wish to work with the collections. The Ipswich Transport Museum intends to become the leading museum of its type in the country. We attempt to meet all current standards relating to the care of its collections and the facilities for visitors. We develop our collections to interest, entertain and educate people of all ages. We aim to convey a sense of how travel in and around the town has developed. We wish to give the people of Ipswich a focus for their pride in the past engineering achievements of the town. We seek to provide a safe repository for documents and photographs relating to transport and engineering in the area. We facilitate the study of these aspects of Ipswich life and business and the dissemination of the results of such studies.

Our Collections Development Policy is integral to our forward planning and what the museum does or does not collect. It's a requirement of museum accreditation and you can download a copy of our current policy document here. Download

The Museum achieved Registered Museum status in 1996. The Registration scheme has been superseded by Accredited Museum status. Our last assessment was approved by the Arts Council in September 2017. Accreditation means that the Museum has proven that it meets the national standards laid down for the acquisition and care of collections. The standard is intended to reassure the public that the Museum is a safe institution for the long term preservation of objects entrusted to it. Only in exceptional circumstances will the Museum consider disposing of items in its collections and then priority will be given to retaining the item within the public domain.

We offer research facilities by pre-arranged appointment, free of charge to bona fide researchers. The Museum is usually open Tuesdays to Thursdays from 10:00 to 15:00. Please contact us in advance to discuss arrangements for your visit. Researchers are given the use of a desk in the heated office. Various aids are available including computers, microfiche readers etc. Refreshment facilities are available. We are able to offer access to the museum for film and TV producers, including use of vehicles for period filming and educational programmes. Please contact us for further details.

The Museum regularly gives educational talks and lectures to schools, clubs and societies. We can also offer speakers for specialist transport or engineering subjects. Over the past few years the Museum has initiated programmes of specialist lectures in conjunction with other local societies to commemorate various events and anniversaries.

The Museum demonstrates a number of its objects at special events every year. These provide the public with an opportunity to sample at first-hand the transport methods of previous times. Regrettably we can't attend every event we are invited to, but we try to cover as many as we can - including popular events such as the 'Suffolk Show', 'Heritage Open Days' events in September, and 'Wheels in Ipswich' in July. We are able to demonstrate our vehicles for relevant museum purposes - including the ability to give free rides at events and on the public highway. Our vehicles can be seen locally at rallies and events in and around the town on a regular basis. We're developing a 'mobile museum' - so our museum trailer may be able to come to your event in the future.

We are unable to offer vehicles for the carriage of passengers on private hire (hire and reward). This means we can't use our vehicles for weddings, proms and days out and charge for their use. This is because we are a museum and not a vehicle 'operator'.

We rely on volunteers to run our museum and no-one here is paid. Volunteering is a rewarding and absorbing pastime - and there are so many facets to running our museum that there are jobs to suit all skill levels and interests. Whether it's maintaining or restoring objects, working with our archives, or showcasing our museum to visitors - it's all in day's work for us. If you're considering volunteering drop us an email (volunteer@ipswichtransportmuseum.co.uk), give us a ring (01473 715666) or pop in when we're open. We'll be delighted to hear from you.

If you are constrained from volunteering but are interested and would like to support the Museum you can join the Friends of Ipswich Transport Museum. This is run as a supporters association and membership is open to both individuals and business organisations. Most volunteers are also members. We've got about 300 individual, family and corporate members, and their support is vital to us. They pay a modest subscription annually and enjoy a bi-monthly illustrated newsletter "Priory Press", meetings, tours and social events.

Click here for further details and an application form Download