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Diss Train
Aug. 18th, 2016 01:52 amThe adventure was to visit Bressingham Steam and Garden Center. David had fail to locate a map to aid our travels but with a push of a few buttons I turned on the Volkswagon's navigation system and we were off to Bressingham.
Bressingham is a small wide spot in the road right near Diss. After a flurry of Diss and Dat jokes we made our way to Ipswitch road and turned west towards Diss. The Navigation system had a mental breakdown and started directing us in circles and we had to ask at the pub.
Bressingham Garden Center is a modern plant store housed in one of the modern tent buildings. It took us a bit of roaming but we found the restaurant and had something to eat. The staff was surly and really just wanted to go home because they had just served a coach full of old people but we got something to eat.
Then it was on to the Steam Train Museum.right next door. The Bressingham train museum and gardens was a product of a bygone era. It was built around the fields of Alan Bloom who is a famous Horticulturist and Steam Train Enthusiast.
David was surprised that it wasn't like he remembered because everything in the past was much bigger. When John pointed out that David's memory was distorted because David, himself, was mush smaller, he was reminded that David's only other visit was when he was 30 years old.
We rode two of the three steam trains through the gardens. The bigger of the two (2 foot gauge) would have once passed fields of rose bed but with the death of Mr. Bloom all of that had changed. The commercial nursery ceased trading in 2011 and the land has been returned to nature. The smaller train went around the perimeter of a fine garden.
We also rode the “Galloper” which is another name for the Carousel. It was a magnificent small one. Ron rode in the Dragon bench while John mounted a sturdy white seed and I chose the two seater Chicken. David chose an ostrich.
We returned home and had a nap and supper in. There was to be a huge football match that evening and John didn't want to be on the road during the lead up to the game because of traffic.
Bressingham is a small wide spot in the road right near Diss. After a flurry of Diss and Dat jokes we made our way to Ipswitch road and turned west towards Diss. The Navigation system had a mental breakdown and started directing us in circles and we had to ask at the pub.
Bressingham Garden Center is a modern plant store housed in one of the modern tent buildings. It took us a bit of roaming but we found the restaurant and had something to eat. The staff was surly and really just wanted to go home because they had just served a coach full of old people but we got something to eat.
Then it was on to the Steam Train Museum.right next door. The Bressingham train museum and gardens was a product of a bygone era. It was built around the fields of Alan Bloom who is a famous Horticulturist and Steam Train Enthusiast.
David was surprised that it wasn't like he remembered because everything in the past was much bigger. When John pointed out that David's memory was distorted because David, himself, was mush smaller, he was reminded that David's only other visit was when he was 30 years old.
We rode two of the three steam trains through the gardens. The bigger of the two (2 foot gauge) would have once passed fields of rose bed but with the death of Mr. Bloom all of that had changed. The commercial nursery ceased trading in 2011 and the land has been returned to nature. The smaller train went around the perimeter of a fine garden.
We also rode the “Galloper” which is another name for the Carousel. It was a magnificent small one. Ron rode in the Dragon bench while John mounted a sturdy white seed and I chose the two seater Chicken. David chose an ostrich.
The three-abreast Gallopers are Bressingham's centre piece. It is one of the finest to be seen anywhere. Built by Savages of Kings Lynn in 1897 and owned and operated by the Thurston family of Norfolk until 1934, the Gallopers later operated at Whitley Bay and ended up in Scotland before finding a home at Bressingham. The engine was originally built by Tidmans of Norwich but has been completely rebuilt at Bressingham. The organ - a Bruder-built, 48 keyless Chiappa - accompanies the Gallopers as they reach up to six revolutions per minute and swing out some 15 degrees.
http://www.bressingham.co.uk/explore/gallopers.aspx
We returned home and had a nap and supper in. There was to be a huge football match that evening and John didn't want to be on the road during the lead up to the game because of traffic.
