Our Hidden Collections

While larger exhibits on display take centre stage, the museum has a wide collection of books on transport topics in our library and an extensive Archive of drawings and photographs related to transport and engineering primarily from the Ipswich area. We also have a collection of smaller objects and costumes.

Much of this ‘hidden’ material can be made available to researchers by arrangement.
Please email archives@ipswichtransportmuseum.co.uk to contact our collections team.

Engineering material includes archives, drawings and photographs of both product, plant and people from the local engineering companies of Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies, Ransomes & Rapier, Reavells, Cocksedges, Cranes, Turners, Bull Motors and Manganese Bronze. We also have material from other local agricultural engineering companies including the Suffolk Iron Foundry and Qualcast at Stowmarket as well as material from Eastern Electricity, the Beet Sugar Factory and former Cliff Quay Power Station.

Our transport archive and photograph collections have items from the principal and independent public transport operators of Ipswich and East Anglia, including details and drawings of vehicles and infrastructure. We also have archive and photographic records relating to the local railways, the River Orwell, Ipswich Docks, Port logs and the Airport.

Our costume collection mainly centres on public transport uniforms, although we have examples from the emergency services.

Our smaller object collections include signs, vehicle spares, and items of social interest relevant to our collections.