The
National Motor Museum (originally the
Montagu Motor Museum) is a museum in the village of
BeaulieuBeaulieu is a small village located on the south eastern edge of the New Forest national park in Hampshire, England and home to both Palace House and the British National Motor Museum.-History:...
, set in the heart of the
New ForestThe New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, in the
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
. It was founded in 1952 by
Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of BeaulieuEdward John Barrington Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu is a British Conservative politician well known in Britain for founding the National Motor Museum, as well as for a pivotal cause célèbre in British gay history, his 1954 conviction and imprisonment for homosexual sex, a...
as a tribute to his father, who was one of the great pioneers of motoring in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, being the first person to drive a motor car into the yard of the
Houses of ParliamentThe Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
, and having introduced
King Edward VIIEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910...
(then the
Prince of WalesPrince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland...
) to motoring during the 1890s.
At first the museum consisted of just five cars and a small collection of
automobiliaAutomobilia is a portmanteau of the words automobile and memorabilia. It is term which can be used to describe any historical artifact or collectible linked with motor cars and related areas, such as motor racing and motorsport personalitites...
displayed in the front hall of Lord Montagu's ancestral home, Palace House, but such was the popularity of this small display that the collection soon outgrew its home
and was transferred to wooden sheds in the grounds of the house.
The
National Motor Museum (originally the
Montagu Motor Museum) is a museum in the village of
BeaulieuBeaulieu is a small village located on the south eastern edge of the New Forest national park in Hampshire, England and home to both Palace House and the British National Motor Museum.-History:...
, set in the heart of the
New ForestThe New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, in the
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
. It was founded in 1952 by
Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of BeaulieuEdward John Barrington Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu is a British Conservative politician well known in Britain for founding the National Motor Museum, as well as for a pivotal cause célèbre in British gay history, his 1954 conviction and imprisonment for homosexual sex, a...
as a tribute to his father, who was one of the great pioneers of motoring in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, being the first person to drive a motor car into the yard of the
Houses of ParliamentThe Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament, is the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
, and having introduced
King Edward VIIEdward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910...
(then the
Prince of WalesPrince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland...
) to motoring during the 1890s.
At first the museum consisted of just five cars and a small collection of
automobiliaAutomobilia is a portmanteau of the words automobile and memorabilia. It is term which can be used to describe any historical artifact or collectible linked with motor cars and related areas, such as motor racing and motorsport personalitites...
displayed in the front hall of Lord Montagu's ancestral home, Palace House, but such was the popularity of this small display that the collection soon outgrew its home
and was transferred to wooden sheds in the grounds of the house. The reputation and popularity of the Beaulieu collection continued to grow: during 1959 the museum's "attendance figures" reached 296,909.
By 1964 annual attendance exceeded half a million and a decision was taken to create a purpose built museum building in the grounds of the Beaulieu estate. A design committee chaired by the distinguished polymath-artist, Sir
Hugh CassonSir Hugh Maxwell Casson, KCVO, RA, RDI, was a British architect, interior designer, artist, and influential writer and broadcaster on 20th century design. He is particularly noted for his role as director of architecture at the 1951 Festival of Britain on London's South Bank.Casson's family...
was created to drive the project, and the architect Leonard Manasseh was given the contract for the design of the building.
By 1972, the collection exceeded 300 exhibits. In a ceremony performed by the
Duke of KentPrince Edward, Duke of Kent is a member of the British Royal Family, a grandchild of George V. He has held the title of Duke of Kent since 1942....
the new purpose-built museum building in the parkland surrounding Palace House was opened on 4 July 1972: the name was changed to the
National Motor Museum, reflecting a change of status from a private collection to a charitable trust and highlighting Montagu's stated aim to provide Britain with a National Motor Museum "worthy of the great achievements of its motor industry". The opening of the museum coincided with the UK launch of the
Jaguar XJ12The Jaguar XJ is a luxury saloon sold under the British Jaguar marque. The XJ was launched in 1968 and has served as the Jaguar flagship model for most of its production span which continues through to today...
which made it an appropriate week for celebrating the UK motor industry.
An unusual feature of the new museum building in 1972 was a cable car passing through the interior of the building. This was subsequently replaced by a
monorailA monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track. The term originates from the contraction of the words mono...
.
Today, in addition to around 250 of the most historically important motor vehicles to have been produced since the late-19th century, including four world
land speed recordThe land speed record is the fastest speed achieved by any wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; what is used in practice is the Category C flying start regulations, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
holders, the museum is also home to one of the finest collections of motoring books, journals, photographs, films, and automobilia in the world.
Among its exhibits are Land Speed Record holders:
Malcolm CampbellSir Malcolm Campbell was an English racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s using vehicles called Blue Bird...
's 1925
350HP SunbeamThe Sunbeam 350HP is an aero-engined car built by the Sunbeam Car Company in 1922, the first of several land speed record breaking cars with aircraft engines.- Design :...
,
Henry SegraveSir Henry O'Neil de Hane Segrave was famous for setting three land speed records and the water speed record. He was the first person to hold both the land and water speed records simultaneously. He was the first person to travel at over 200 mph in a land vehicle...
's 1927
Sunbeam 1000 hpThe Sunbeam 1000 HP Mystery, or "The Slug", is a land speed record-breaking car built by the Sunbeam Car Company of Wolverhampton that was powered by two aircraft engines. It was the first car to travel at over 200 mph. The car's last run was a demonstration circuit at Brooklands, running at...
and 1929
Golden ArrowGolden Arrow was a land speed record racer. Built for Major Henry Segrave to take the LSR from Ray Keech, Golden Arrow was one of the first streamlined land speed racers, with a pointed nose and tight cowling...
,
Donald CampbellDonald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British car and motorboat racer who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 60s...
's
Bluebird CN7. The yellow
Reliant RegalThe Reliant Regal was a small three-wheeled car manufactured by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. Being a three-wheeler, and lightweight, the vehicle could be driven on a motorcycle licence in the United Kingdom....
van from the BBC 1
TVTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
comedyComedy as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in Ancient Greece...
Only Fools And HorsesOnly Fools and Horses is a British television sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan, and made and broadcast by the BBC. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003.Set in Peckham in south London,...
and a display of James Bond vehicles are also among the exhibits.
Recently, the museum added an exhibit displaying custom-built vehicles from the British hit motoring series,
Top Gear.
Additional attractions include a
monorailThe Beaulieu Monorail is a monorail linking the National Motor Museum to the Palace House. Part of the monorail line actually enters the museum building, allowing passengers to see the automobile collection from above. Originally part of a Butlins Holiday Camp, the monorail was moved to its...
, veteran bus ride, rally-car
simulator rideSimulator rides are a type of amusement park ride, where the audience is shown a movie while their seats move to correspond to the action on screen.-History:...
, go-karting rink,
playgroundA playground or play area is an area designed for children to play, indoors or outdoors.Modern playgrounds often have recreational equipment such as the see-saw, merry-go-round, swingset, slide, jungle gym, chin-up bars, sandbox, spring rider, monkey bars, overhead ladder, trapeze rings,...
,
restaurantA restaurant prepares and serves food and drink to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
and a substantial part of the
Palace HouseThe Beaulieu Palace House is a 13th Century house located in Beaulieu, Hampshire. It was originally built in the 13th Century as the Great Gatehouse of Beaulieu Abbey but came into the ownership of Lord Montagu's family in 1583...
and grounds, including the partially ruined
Beaulieu AbbeyBeaulieu Abbey, , was a Cistercian abbey located in Hampshire, England. It was founded in 1203-1204 by King John and peopled by 30 monks sent from the abbey of Cîteaux in France, the mother house of the Cistercian order...
, providing a full day out. Among the monastery buildings to have been preserved are the domus (now used for functions and exhibitions), and the refectory, which is now the parish church.
The museum is open every day except for Christmas Day, though inevitably it attracts its highest number of visitors during the summer months.
In the summer, the
New Forest TourThe New Forest Tour is an open-top bus service in the New Forest, running a circular route around Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Lymington, Beaulieu and Exbury Gardens. It is run by Bluestar in partnership with Hampshire County Council, New Forest District Council and the New Forest National Park...
open-top bus route serves the museum.
External links