Museum of the Month - April 2005 - The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu (01 Apr 2005)
When Lord Montagu opened his stately home to the public in 1952 he included a tableaux of five old cars in memory of his father's pioneering interest in the motorcar. From this grew the Montagu Motor Museum and in 1972 the present building was opened and it became the National Motor Museum. Governed by an independent charitable trust the museum has gained both Registered and Designated status. The collection illustrates "motoring on the roads of Great Britain", by including motor cycles, cars and light commercial vehicles and interpreting roads to mean race tracks and off road facilities so you will also find a whole range of racing cars, a trials car and the countries first dragster. ... to read more click here
     
The Myreton Motor Museum at Aberlady (02 Mar 2005)
The Myerton Motor Museum on the South shores of the Firth of Forth to the East of Edinburgh is one of Britain's longest established motor transport museums. Opened in August 1966 in buildings adjacent to Willie Dale's farm he opened in partnership with local enthusiast Michael Mutch. Some years later they opened a motor museum in the barracks at Dunbar and that ran for some 10 years before closing and then in 1983 another at Melrose which closed in 1997. Sadly Michael Mutch has died and Michael's collection of army vehicles has been sold. ... to read more click here
     
The Museum of the Month - February 2005 - The Museum of Brewing (01 Feb 2005)
How's this for a day out? Take a trip to Burton upon Trent, have a tour around the brewery and visit the Bass Museum of Brewing, paying particular attention to its road transport collection. On the day of my visit they were just changing their name from the Bass Museum! The site is now part of the Coors Brewery Group and the museum side is marketed as the Coors Visitor Centre incorporating the Museum of Brewing. ... to read more click here
     
Museum of the Month - January 2005 - The Newburn Hall Motor Museum (04 Jan 2005)
This museum is well known to enthusiasts in the North East and even on the Continent but it may be new to many southerners. Situated in the town of Newburn, to the west of Newcastle upon Tyne, the main building is a territorial army drill hall built in 1924 which became derelict in 1977. Enthusiast Dominic Porelli, whilst living on site in a caravan with his wife, Margaret, rebuilt the vandalised building, opening it in 1981. It has a very imposing frontage and now includes 4,000 sq ft of exhibition space with associated workshops, bar and buffet lounge which go under the name of "The Wheel". ... to read more click here
     
Museum of the Month - December 2004 - The North of England Open Air Museum at Beamish (01 Dec 2004)
At first sight it might not seem appropriate for Beamish (as it is usually called) to feature as a Motor Museum of the Month. However, one particular aspect of it - the garage - is so well done that I felt it had to be included. The museum was opened in 1971 and it sets out to portray something of the life and work of people from the North East. ... to read more click here
     
Museum of the Month - November 2004 - The REME Museum - The Reserve Collection (03 Nov 2004)
Last month I hope I enthused you with the REME Museum of Technology at Arborfield, near Reading. There is more, however! At Bordon Camp near Petersfield in Hampshire is the museum's reserve collection and this does contain some surprises. This part of the museum is open to visitors provided they come in pre-booked parties. Roger Jones is the man in charge. When he was first at Bordon as a serviceman in 1979 he became a volunteer helping to prepare a few historic vehicles for shows under the banner of "REME Historic Vehicle Society". At one time they did as many as 33 shows in a year! In 1987 the collection came under the REME Museum wing and later Roger left the army and now runs the reserve collection as a civilian, still attending shows but having a much larger collection to look after. ... to read more click here
     
Museum of the Month - October 2004 - The REME Museum of Technology (05 Oct 2004)
The Corps of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers was founded on 1st October 1942 in order to rationalise and improve the efficiency of the army's repair resources. Various groups from the Army's engineering and workshop world came together to form REME. When I visited the REME Museum of Technology at its garrison headquarters in Arborfield, Berkshire, I rather got the impression that a simple description of the work that they did would be: "If the enemy damages it, the army breaks it or it wears out, REME will recover and repair it". ... to read more click here
     
Museum of the Month, September 2004 - The Brooklands Museums (31 Aug 2004)
If you telephone Brooklands Museum the cheery voice of Tiff Needell answers the phone with "Welcome to Brooklands - The Birthplace of British Motorsport and Aviation".

Brooklands must be motoring's most important site in the United Kingdom and we must not forget its place in aviation history. ... to read more click here
     
Museum of the Month, August 2004 - Coventry Transport Museum (01 Aug 2004)
Earlier this year The Museum of British Road Transport re-launched itself as the Coventry Transport Museum. This Museum boasts the largest collection of British road transport exhibits anywhere in the world has been extended and improved to include a sweeping new glass frontage and four major new galleries. This ambitious project at the heart of Coventry's city centre regeneration scheme, cost £7.5 million and has taken four years to complete. It's the first time a motor museum has ever been used for city regeneration. Millennium Place at the front of the Museum is a wide-open space where many motoring and other activities can take place. ... to read more click here
     
Museum of the Month - July 2004 - Canterbury Motor Museum (02 Jul 2004)
Cyril May, with his wife Beryl, have been in the motor trade for over 50 years. Behind their home, off Ashford Road, Canterbury, there is still a small garage business and alongside it, the motor museum building. Cyril jokes that it all started because he never threw anything away. Back in 1981 he gained planning permission to put up a building to house his growing collection of cars and motorcycles and he used to show these off to friends and customers. Soon it was suggested that he open to the public. That is when they both started to spend much more time at autojumbles, auctions and car boot events looking for material to put on show. They have a lot of friends in Australia whom they regularly visit and the collection features a number of signs, petrol cans, etc, from these contacts. There are at least 13 cars on show, plus a number of motorcycles and masses of automobile collectables. Within the museum there are some real surprises. ... to read more click here
     
Museum of the Month - June 2004 - Grampian Transport Museum (01 Jun 2004)
This must be one of my favourite road transport museums. As a Southerner I am only sorry that it is so far away, situated as it is some 23 miles North West of Aberdeen. The Grampian Transport Museum is a fully Registered professionally-run museum which tells the story of land, travel and transport in the Grampian region. ... to read more click here
     
Museum of the Month - May 2004 - Ramsgate Motor Museum (02 May 2004)
The collection from which the Ramsgate Motor Museum evolved was started by Terence Sharpe back in 1945 when he bought a De Dion Bouton for £30. He was very friendly with that great wheeler dealer Reg Taverner and things just grew from there. The Ramsgate Motor Museum opened some 20 years ago and since Terence's death it has been looked after by his brother, Dennis, with the help of the small trusty team of volunteers, all retired. ... to read more click here