CRICH TRAMWAY VILLAGE
PLAN YOUR VISIT
Location: Crich Tramway Village can be accessed using the A38, the A6, the A61, and the A52. The venue is to the northwest of Crich Village.
Visit: Crich Stand rises above the quarry at a safe distance from the edge. It is a landmark that can be seen for miles around, and on a bright day, it is possible to see Lincoln Cathedral, 50 miles away. This is the third stone-built tower on the site, and before that, there was at least one wooden structure.
Refreshments: The Red Lion Pub, the brand new for 2025 Tram Stop Café, Barnett’s Sweet Shop and Matlock Meadows Ice Cream
Crich: Crich, a town no longer, is a large, sprawling village lying in a sheltered position in a hollow on a hillside high above the Derwent Valley. It is a fascinating, if unusual, village. It has a lighthouse yet is situated in the middle of England, and trams still clank along in a worked-out quarry, far away from the cities they used to serve.
CRICH TRAMWAY VILLAGE
Crich Tramway Village, home to the National Tramway Museum, is a unique open-air museum and heritage attraction in a picturesque setting in Cliff Quarry at Crich.
The famous railway engineer, George Stephenson, who designed the ‘Rocket’, built the Crich Mineral Railway in 1837 to carry limestone from Cliff Quarry to a battery of limekilns at Ambergate. When the quarry was exhausted, it was converted into a tramway museum. Now known as Crich Tramway Village, it has been an important tourist attraction in Derbyshire since its establishment in 1963. Vintage trams run every few minutes along a period street out into the open countryside with spectacular countryside views.
The museum combines a recreated period village with a working tramway featuring a traditional public house, café, period-style sweetshop, and tram depot. A new café opened in 2025 adjacent to the Red Lion pub. Behind the façade of the Old Derby Assembly Rooms is an exhibition hall that houses trams from all over the world and tells the story of their transformation from horse-drawn to electric motor. The Workshop Viewing Gallery allows visitors to see for themselves the restoration and repair work that takes place daily.
The cobbled village street has been carefully restored and is home to an interesting collection of old buildings. Visitors are welcome to browse around the shops and to enjoy a rest and refreshment in either the pub or the cafes. In keeping with the period setting, old-fashioned jars of sweets are on display at the Emporium, and there is a wide range of confectionery and gifts. The Forge supplies plenty of goods to interest the transport enthusiast and offers a wide selection of gifts.
Regular events attract large numbers of visitors. To find your way around the site, pick up a copy of the Tramway Village Map on arrival or use the Situate App on your Smartphone.
