National Motor Museum, Beaulieu facts for kids
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| Established | 1952 |
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| Location | Beaulieu, Hampshire, England |
| Type | Automobile museum |
The National Motor Museum is a super cool place in Beaulieu, a village in the New Forest area of Hampshire, England. It's packed with amazing cars, motorcycles, and all sorts of things about motoring history! It was first called the Montagu Motor Museum.
Contents
Discovering the Museum's History
This museum started in 1952. It was created by Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu. He wanted to honor his dad, John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu. His dad was one of the first people to love cars in the United Kingdom.
Imagine this: he was the first person to drive a car into the Houses of Parliament! He even showed King Edward VII (who was then the Prince of Wales) how fun cars were back in the 1890s.
At first, the museum was tiny. It only had five cars and a few car-related items. These were displayed in the front hall of Lord Montagu's family home, Palace House. But people loved it so much! The collection quickly grew too big for the house.
So, the cars moved to wooden sheds in the garden. The museum became more and more popular. By 1959, nearly 300,000 people visited each year!
By 1964, over half a million people visited annually. This meant they needed a bigger, special building just for the museum. A group of experts, led by architect Sir Hugh Casson, helped plan it. The main design work was done by Ian Baker.
By 1972, the museum had over 300 vehicles! The new, custom-built museum opened on July 4, 1972. The Duke of Kent officially opened it. The name changed to the "National Motor Museum." This showed it was no longer just a private collection. It became a charity, aiming to be a national museum for Britain's motor industry.
When the museum opened, the Jaguar XJ12 car was also launched in the UK. This made it a perfect week to celebrate British cars! The museum is now run by the National Motor Museum Trust Ltd, which is a registered charity.
A cool thing about the new museum building in 1972 was the National Motor Museum Monorail. This train actually goes right through the museum! The idea came from a similar light railway at the Montreal World's Fair, Expo 67.
What You Can See Today
- Want to see a full list? Check out List of vehicles at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
Today, the museum has about 285 vehicles. These include cars and motorcycles from the late 1800s to now. It also has a huge collection of books, magazines, photos, and films about cars. It's connected to the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust.
One fun exhibit is "On Screen Cars." Here you can see famous vehicles from TV and movies!
- Del Boy's Reliant Regal from the BBC show Only Fools and Horses
- Mr. Bean’s bright green Mini
- Doctor Who's cool car, Bessie
In 2022, some cars from different James Bond films were shown in the "Bond in Motion – No Time To Die" exhibit.
The "World of Top Gear" exhibit is also popular. It features cars made by the former Top Gear presenters: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May.
The museum also has a special collection of the famous Rolls-Royce car mascots. These are called the Spirit of Ecstasy, or sometimes the Flying Lady. This collection includes a very special one called "The Whisper."
"The Whisper" was made for John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, the 2nd Baron. He asked his friend Charles Robinson Sykes to sculpt a personal mascot for his Rolls-Royce. Sykes made a figure of a woman with fluttering robes, pressing a finger to her lips. This was to symbolize a secret love between John and his secretary, Eleanor Thornton. That's why it was named The Whisper!
Besides the cars, there are other cool things to do. You can ride the National Motor Museum Monorail or take a veteran bus ride. There's also a playground and a restaurant. You can also explore parts of the Palace House and its beautiful gardens. Don't miss the old Beaulieu Abbey ruins! Some parts of the monastery are still used today, like the refectory which is now a church.
Exploring Beaulieu's Attractions
The National Motor Museum is just one part of the fun at the Beaulieu estate. Lord Montagu owns the estate, and all these attractions are sold together with one ticket:
- Beaulieu Abbey
- National Motor Museum
- Beaulieu Palace House
- World of Top Gear
- Secret Army Exhibition – learn about special training during World War II
- Beautiful Gardens
- National Motor Museum Monorail
See also
In Spanish: National Motor Museum, Beaulieu para niños
- List of motorcycles in the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
- List of vehicles at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
