Blists Hill Steampunk Weekend
At the end of June I attended another new (to me) Steampunk event, namely Blists Hill Steampunk Weekend. Blists Hill is often referred to as ‘The Town That Never Was’. Blists Hill is near Ironbridge and was reconstructed to illustrate what life in a Victorian town was like. Many of the buildings were moved from other locations and rebuilt exactly as they were, brick by brick.
Blists Hill OPening times & Parking
Blists Hill Victorian Town is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Wednesday through to Sunday the opening hours vary depending on the season. For much of the year the opening hours are 10am until 5pm. From about October onwards the hours become 10am until 4pm.
In terms of cost of entry there are options to buy an annual pass or a single ticket for the day. The annual pass covers not only Blists Hill but gains you entry to other museums including Enginuity, Coalport China Musuem, Jackfield Tile Museum, Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, Darby Houses, Broseley Pipeworks and the Tar Tunnel. Annual pass costs are as follows:
- Family (2 adults and up to 4 children) £96.00
- Family (1 adult and up to 4 children) £60.00
- Adult or Senior £37.00
- Child 5+ or Student £21.50
The single day ticket for Blists Hill charges are as follows:
- Adult or Senior £26.50
- Child 5+ or Student £15.50
I opted for the single day ticket. Unfortunately the ticket price does not include car parking! Cost of parking is £1.50 per hour with a maximum charge of £6.00. Blue badge (disabled) holders can park for free in marked bays.
Visiting Blists Hill
I’m sure Blists Hill is an interested place to visit at any time since there are many displays of Victorian life and workers who are dressed in period costume. However I would argue it’s an even better time to visit when they are holding a special event like this Steampunk weekend. If you are into portrait photography you will love it as the Steampunk community are very friendly and happy to pose for photos.
If you like environmental portraits where you also feature more of the surroundings, perhaps using a wider focal length than the 85mm I mostly use, Blists Hill has much to offer. You can capture the Victorian buildings in scenes to add to the authentic look (especially if you perhaps process your images in black and white). Some of the buildings that were moved to Blists Hill include:
- Stirchley Board School. Built in 1881 it finally closed in 1972 and was moved to Blists Hill in 1993.
- The Forest Glen Pavilion. Built in 1889 it once stood at The Wrekin, a popular Shropshire walk. It was moved to Blists Hill in 1993.
- Charles Jesse Butchers. Dates from before 1871 it was moved from nearby Ironbridge.
- W E Lloyd Cobblers.
- Lloyds Bank. A replica of the building in Broseley which still exists.
- AF Blakemore Grocer.
- Pritchard’s Sweet Shop.
- Roland Percy Smitheman Photographer.
- A Farryner Baker.
Interestingly you can change your money for ‘old’ money in the bank and you can then spend the old money in some of the shops at Blists Hill. The shops do also accept modern money, I actually purchased a couple of fruit buns from the bakery.
The following are just a small selection of my photos from the day. More can be seen on my Facebook album from the weekend. Once I uploaded my images to Facebook I was contacted by Roy Sinclair asking if he could use a few of my images on his website gallery. His website is called Steampunk Hub which is a good resource to learn about Steampunk events, clubs and performers.
