Sunderland's Ryhope Engines Museum announces plans for Easter 2024, including welcoming more than 100 classic cars

Ryhope Engines Museum will be firing up its pistons and hosting a classic car show as the historic site opens its door to the public this Easter weekend.

The museum is based at what was Ryhope Pumping Station which was built in 1868 to supply water to Sunderland and the surrounding area.

Good Friday, March 29, marks the reopening of the popular attraction for the 2024 season and to mark the occasion, volunteers at the museum will be firing up the original 1868 beam steam engines which were once used to pump water from its reservoir.

Volunteer and chair of the museum's trust, Keith Bell, said: "We are going to have our live steaming taking place across the whole of the Easter weekend.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for people to see these Victorian engines in operation. For preservation reasons we only fire them up for around half-a-dozen days each year.

"As well as seeing all the artefacts at the museum, people will also get to see demonstrations from a blacksmith about how items were made from metal and visitors can even have a go at firing up the Lancashire boilers which were built in 1908."

On Easter Sunday, March 31, the museum will also be hosting more than 100 classic cars.

Keith said: "Members of Sunderland and District Classic Car Society will be arriving in an array of classic cars.

"This is our busiest and favourite weekend of the year and a chance for people to see what we believe is the most important piece of industrial heritage in the North East.

"With it being the start of the Easter holidays it's also a great chance for children to come along and witness the power of steam and appreciate how they get their drinking water."

Across the course of the weekend, people can also enjoy something to eat and drink from the museum's cafe.

Entry across the weekend is free with events running between 11am and 4pm. Once open for the tourist season, the museum is open every Sunday until December from 2pm to 5pm.