Bressingham Steam and Gardens

Bressingham Steam and Gardens lies west of Diss in Norfolk, beside a garden centre. The site holds narrow-gauge railways, steam engines, vehicles and a Dad’s Army exhibition. Alan Bloom started the gardens in 1946 on 220 acres after selling his Cambridgeshire nursery. He created the Dell Garden with its island beds and later his son Adrian laid out five more gardens for year-round colour. The gardens remain in the Bloom family’s private care while the steam museum is run by an independent charitable trust. The trust was formed in 1971 after changes in the law allowed Alan Bloom to keep the collection together. The site is worth visiting for its working steam engines and historic rides. The three-abreast Gallopers, built in 1897, still turn beneath a 1954 Chiappa organ. Two narrow-gauge lines wind through meadows: the 2.5-mile Fen Railway and the 1.5-mile Waveney Valley Railway, both opened in the 1960s and 1970s. A 10¼-inch miniature railway runs through the Dell Garden, letting visitors watch flower beds from the train. The museum also displays steam rollers, tractors and portable engines, including a 1901 Burrell and a 1903 Foster. Visitors find the gardens and railways arranged for easy touring. The Gallopers stand at the heart of the site, powered today by electricity but once driven by steam. The Fen and Waveney lines cross each other and run beside standard-gauge tracks, giving views of the wider landscape. The Dell Garden’s island beds and year-round borders show off Alan and Adrian Bloom’s planting skill. In the museum grounds a recreated High Street from Dad’s Army shows vintage vehicles used in the series.