A POPULAR “time warp” attraction has reopened this week following months of closure.
A multi-million pound grant has helped resurrect the model Victorian town in time for the half term.
Blists Hill, a living Victorian Museum in Shropshire, finally reopened yesterday (May 21), allowing visitors to step back in time once more.
The 1900s style attraction closed in February this year after the National Trust took over the property from the previous owners, the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust.
The open-air museum features staff working in 18th and 19th century clothing, with a candle factory, butcher’s shop, school and a shoesmith for visitors to explore.
There is even a bank trading in shillings and pence, which visitors can use to spend at the confectionery store.
Shire horses, as well as the new addition of a pony, also provide carriage rides around the town.
As part of the takeover, the National Trust was given a £9 million government grant to “increase visitor numbers” from beyond the county.
It will now run the attraction alongside nine other museums, 35 listed buildings and scheduled monuments that were once operated by Ironbridge.
Around 330,000 visitors come to the site annually from the West Midlands and across the UK.
The 11-week delay in reopening the attraction was attributed to overhauling IT systems, staff training and induction.
The Museum of Iron and The Old Furnace in Shropshire are also set to open this month.