Skip to content

Opportunity to give town's last tram a new life

Edward Rowe
BBC News, Gloucestershire Political Reporter
The Wilson A side by side image of the tram being used and how it looks now. The image on the right is the tram going up Leckhampton Hill. It's got trees on either side and the number 21 blazoned on the it's front. The top deck has advertising boards saying 'drakes'The Wilson
People are being offered the chance to give the historic Tram 21 a new lease of life

Offers are being invited to give a town's last surviving tram a new lease of life, after being in storage for more than 30 years.

Tram 21 operated in Cheltenham 100 years ago but since 1992 it has been stored away from the public at the town art gallery and museum, The Wilson.

The museum has said the tram is too large to display and too costly for it to restore, and as a result, Cheltenham Borough Council has offered it to anyone who is interested in doing something with it for the benefit of the community.

Councillor Martin Horwood said: "I'd love to see it have a new life even if that's in a slightly different form, but somewhere where the public can see it and its story can be told."

A landscape shot of a tram on cinderblocks with lots of rubbish in the interior. Red paint is flecking off and it all looks quite tatty, but you can see the number '21' emblazoned twice on it's side
Tram 21 has been in storage for more than 30 years and requires significant work

He added: "Council took the decision recently to deaccession it because at the moment it's just languishing in storage and personally I think that's a bit of a waste really it's an important part of Cheltenham's history."

The decision means that the tram will be taken out of the museum's collection if the council feels it can find an appropriate home for it.

The history of Tram 21

The Wilson Tram 21 with a triangular roof on the top. It's got rags and wooden boards in the windows. A small animal which looks like a dog is standing next to the derelict tram. The photo is in black and white.The Wilson
After being retired, the tram was used to store equipment and keep chickens on a Gloucestershire farm

Trams operated in Cheltenham from 1901 until 1930.

They ran from the railway station to the town centre, going to places like Charlton Kings, Leckhampton Hill and Cleeve Hill.

Owner of Cleeve Hill Hotel, Lindsey Holland, said they were a big part of the hotel's opening.

"The whole reason Cleeve Hill exists today is because there were a few entrepreneurs who wanted to create a resort," Ms Holland said.

"The idea was that people could come and take the spa waters and then take the tram up to the hill and take the fresh air."

The trams were retired, making way for buses, which could get to more places for a lower cost.

The Wilson Tram 21 is in colour here and looking very smart, it's got red and white livery. It has the top back on along with the traditional adverts wrapped around the top open deck. It's on wheels and being transported, a car is in front of it with the driver leaning on the door looking at the camera.The Wilson
The tram was restored in the 1960s by a group of enthusiasts

Tram 21 ended up on a Gloucestershire farm as a chicken coop but was rescued in the 1960s by a group of enthusiasts who set about restoring it to it's former glory.

Founding member of the Rolling Stones, Brian Jones, was among those who were part of the restoration project.

The tram ended up going on a tour around the country, spending time at the National Tramways Museum in Crich, Derbyshire, and then Bournemouth, before coming back to the town it served in 1992.

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

Stories similar to this
Related internet links