England’s time-warp attraction with Victorian pharmacy, school and pub to reopen
ONE popular UK attraction often considered a ‘time-warp town’ is set to reopen next month after months of closure.
Blists Hill is a living Victorian Museum that allows visitors to step into the 1900s with a period pub, pharmacy, and school, and there are even Shire horses trotting about the streets.
Blists Hill closed in February of this year after being taken over by the National Trust.
Now, it’s understood the site is set to open next month, but the exact dates haven’t been announced yet.
The National Trust said on its website: “Details of timings and prices will follow on our website in the next few weeks.”
For those who are keen to visit, the Victorian town is found in Shropshire and is a completely immersive experience.
There are staff in costume working in the businesses like ironmaking – which is what the site was originally used for in the 18th and 19th century.
There’s also a candle factory, butcher shop, shoe smith and even a school which has been deconstructed and rebuilt on the site brick by brick.
At the bank, visitors can exchange pounds into shillings and pence to spend on treats like sweets at the confectionery shop.
Blists Hill even has resident Shire horses like George and Bernie, who provide carriage rides around the town.
It was late last year that that the National Trust announced it would take over the running of certain museums once operated by Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, like Blists Hill, with the help of a £9million grant.
The National Trust will oversee 10 museums and 35 listed buildings, with some sites opening “in a phased fashion” over the year.
For example, Toll House in Ironbridge, a small museum on the historic Iron Bridge, is set to reopen in mid-June
When Travel Writer Ryan Gray stepped into Victorian life, he confessed his favourite spots were the pub and chip shop.
He said: “The first cast member greet me was a friendly policeman, Guy Rowlands, who has been working on the site for more than 20 years. He also leads the singalongs in the New Inn, the on-site working pub, which takes place every afternoon.
“Staff recommended I take a bag of chips into the pub to enjoy with a pint on arrival, but as I was driving, I settled for a dandelion and burdock instead.
“Nevertheless, I was still able to enjoy the incredible levels of detail throughout the bar, including old local football fixtures written in cursive on the blackboard and ‘wanted’ posters hung up on the wall.”
Prior to its closure, Blists Hill was open from 10am to 4pm every day, with the museum advising customers to allow for up to four hours to explore it fully.
An adult day ticket to the site is £27, with a £30 option also available.