Just a quick mention for somewhere I always promised to go but had never got around to, until yesterday.
The museum is an eclectic selection of old and not-so-old cars, motorcycles, bicycles and aircraft, reflecting the varied history of the site. In many cases, although the individual items hold interest, the collections don't necessarily hang together brilliantly well, one suspects because the museum are too polite to turn donated machines away. This gives the place an appropriately eccentric air, in parts.
The collections are housed in original buildings on the site. The old paddock buildings house the cars, mainly road and racing transport of the 1900-1940 period, including the famous aero-engined 'Babs', the 27-litre monster that makes one reassess the concept of bravery when told that it took the land speed record at 170mph in 1927. More modern Grand Prix cars include a Cooper T43, McLaren MP4-6 and MP4-13 and a Jordan EJ11. There is also a large collection of Raleigh cycles of various vintages, alongside a clutch of Sir Clive Sinclair's infamous C5s.
The collection of aircraft is extensive and includes wartime machinery that was built on the site (it housed Vickers and Hawker factories), as well as passenger planes, including a Concorde that comes with a guided tour (at a £4 supplement).
One also has the opportunity to venture on what remains of the Members Banking, a poignant experience given how little of it remains and the toll that the weather has taken on the surface. The sheer steepness of the banking is extraordinary, particularly when you have seen the museum's footage of cars racing right along the high line.
I would regard the entry fee of £10 to be on the limit of what might be considered reasonable, but on a sunny day (which it definitely wasn't yesterday!) it represents a great day out with something for young and old alike.
http://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/
The museum is an eclectic selection of old and not-so-old cars, motorcycles, bicycles and aircraft, reflecting the varied history of the site. In many cases, although the individual items hold interest, the collections don't necessarily hang together brilliantly well, one suspects because the museum are too polite to turn donated machines away. This gives the place an appropriately eccentric air, in parts.
The collections are housed in original buildings on the site. The old paddock buildings house the cars, mainly road and racing transport of the 1900-1940 period, including the famous aero-engined 'Babs', the 27-litre monster that makes one reassess the concept of bravery when told that it took the land speed record at 170mph in 1927. More modern Grand Prix cars include a Cooper T43, McLaren MP4-6 and MP4-13 and a Jordan EJ11. There is also a large collection of Raleigh cycles of various vintages, alongside a clutch of Sir Clive Sinclair's infamous C5s.
The collection of aircraft is extensive and includes wartime machinery that was built on the site (it housed Vickers and Hawker factories), as well as passenger planes, including a Concorde that comes with a guided tour (at a £4 supplement).
One also has the opportunity to venture on what remains of the Members Banking, a poignant experience given how little of it remains and the toll that the weather has taken on the surface. The sheer steepness of the banking is extraordinary, particularly when you have seen the museum's footage of cars racing right along the high line.
I would regard the entry fee of £10 to be on the limit of what might be considered reasonable, but on a sunny day (which it definitely wasn't yesterday!) it represents a great day out with something for young and old alike.
http://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/
