Steam Museum, Bressingham
Dad’s Army Exhibition
Blooms of Bressingham

All of the above attractions are in the same place just over the border from Suffolk into Norfolk, so it’s not strictly a Suffolk thing.

Trivial geographical detail aside, Bressingham is well worth a visit; better on a sunny day, but there is plenty to do and see if the weather is dodgy. We visited the Steam Museum on the recommendation of a local woman in the village we’re staying in. And it was a great recommendation. The Museum houses several train sheds with large engines and carriages. We didn’t even get to see these, I’m sorry to say, as the weather was great and there was a lot to do outdoors. The entry cost was a little high (£10.50 each for adults and £3.00 for toddlers) and there were a couple of rides which charged an additional £1. That said, the rides were good, including a large carousel (free) which Monty thoroughly enjoyed.

The real attractions were the three steam train rides on offer, again no extra charge. And this is why it’s best to visit when the weather is ok. The steam trains do tours of the extensive grounds and pass through Blooms Nursery next door (apparently it’s a well known nursery in the area). I can’t stand gardening so I can’t say Blooms is the most exciting part of the venue for me, but keen horticulturists would probably have a field day.

The steam trains are mainly narrow gauge small trains driven by enthusiasts eagerly stoking the engines with coal. Monty really enjoyed the rides - he’s a typical lad and loves all kinds of vehicles. Trains are right up there with tractors and fire engines as his favourites.

There’s a shop, cafe and ice cream hut so plenty of food/coffee opportunities for me (always a plus). I didn’t see the Dad’s Army exhibition, but apparently it’s very good with a lot of original props and memorabilia from the show and a purpose-built high street with Captain Mainwaring’s bank and Corporal Jones’s Butcher’s shop.

And, as I mentioned, the gardens are supposedly excellent. I didn’t look. OK, so maybe I’m a bit of a philistine, but gardens really are NOT my thing. To be fair to me, we only had two and a half hours there so we really only had time for the outdoors rides. And we were really lucky to time it well, too, as this was the few days of the year when Thomas the Tank was visiting. So we all climbed on a carriage and got pulled along the tracks by a full-size real steam Thomas. Again, Monty loved this and a kind driver allowed Monty and I to get up and have a look inside the engine room too.

All in all, Bressingham is one I would recommend to families with small children. You might not get a whole day out of it, but certainly a long morning or afternoon.

For more information have a look at Bressingham Steam Museum website.

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