York Motor Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids York Motor Museum
York Motor Museum
General information
Architectural style	Federation Free Classical
Address	116-120 Avon Terrace
Town or city	York, Western Australia
Construction started	1908
Renovated	1979

The York Motor Museum is a cool place to see old cars, motorbikes, and bicycles. It's located on Avon Terrace in York, Western Australia. The museum is inside a group of shops and buildings that were built way back in 1908 by the Windsor family. These buildings have a fancy, classic design.

Discover the Motor Museum

The idea for the museum came from James Harwood. He suggested that Peter Briggs, who had a huge collection of vehicles, should buy a building to show them off. Both Harwood and Briggs had been collecting cars since the 1960s. Peter Briggs was also very involved in local motor sports. He even won the MG Car Club Annual Championship three times in the late 1960s! He also became known for buying and selling old cars and even airplanes.

The museum first opened its doors on December 8, 1979. It had a large space, about 1,100 square meters, to display all the vehicles. In 1984, the museum won a special award called the Sir David Brand Award for tourism.

For over 15 years, the museum's curator was Peter Harbin, who also loved motor racing.

Today, the museum has three main areas filled with cars, motorbikes, and bicycles. There are also two general areas and one section just for the history of motor sports. You can see about 60 cars, 16 motorbikes, and other vehicles. There's also lots of cool stuff like old racing memorabilia. Many vehicles are from Peter Briggs' own collection, while others are on loan from the Western Australian Museum and other collectors.

The York Motor Museum is run by amazing volunteers. It's open every day from 9 AM to 4 PM, and there's a small fee to get in.

The museum also started the York Festival of Motoring, which is now known as the York Motor Show. This big event brings thousands of car fans to York! Even though the museum is still very involved, the show is now organized by the York Branch of the Veteran Car Club of WA.

Since 2017, the museum has been owned by a non-profit group called the Avon Valley Motor Museum Association. This means it's a community project, run for everyone to enjoy!

Awesome Cars to See

Here are some of the cool cars you might find at the York Motor Museum:

History of the Museum Building

The land where the museum stands has a long history. From the late 1830s to 1859, it was part of a government farm. This area also had important government buildings like the court house.

In 1859, the land was sold to a builder named George Wansbrough. He built a small house on the spot. It even had an oven, which suggests it might have been a bakery! The first baker known to work there was Henry Beard in 1863.

Over the years, the property changed hands and had different bakers. In 1907, the local council decided that the old buildings on the property were falling apart. They ordered them to be taken down. So, in December 1907, the building was demolished, and the land became an empty block.

Before new buildings could be put up, there was a problem with the footpath level on Avon Terrace. It was higher than the building line. In 1907, J. C. Windsor, a bank manager, asked the York Council to lower the footpath. The council agreed, and the path was lowered.

Then, in January 1908, Windsor's wife, Adeline Hannah Windsor, bought the property. She was from a family of engineers and owned other buildings in York.

Building the Windsor Shops

In October 1907, plans were made to build new shops in York for J. C. Windsor. In August 1908, a builder named J. W. Rebonds was chosen to construct the new offices and shops. The council approved the plans, and work started quickly.

The new buildings were finished by the end of November 1908. Soon after, businesses began to move into "Windsor’s Buildings."

Past Businesses in the Building

Many different businesses have been in this building over the years. Here are a few examples:

• J. J. Lawler, who was a land agent.
• Thorn & Stewart, who sold machinery.
• J. A. Trask, a lawyer.
• The York Roads Board, which managed local roads.
• Alfred G. Mattiske, who sold fabric and clothing.
• Mrs. Mary Ellen Lansell, who sold women's clothes and hats.
• Lawyers M. L. (Toby) Evans and Roly Iddison.
• E. T. Hick and G. E. L. Wrench, who ran a general store.
• Eastern Districts Trading Co., a Ford car dealership.

The petrol pump you might see in front of the building was put there by the Eastern Districts Trading Co. in 1936. For a long time, the main use for the property was as a garage for cars.

Who Owns It Now?

The property stayed with the Windsor family until the 1960s.

In 1979, Peter Briggs bought the property. He fixed it up to create the motor museum for his amazing car collection.

The main entrance doors of the museum are quite special. They came from the Perpetual Trustee Buildings in St Georges Terrace, Perth.

Today, the museum is owned by the Avon Valley Motor Museum Association (Inc.). This is a non-profit group formed by car fans in York. They bought the museum property from Peter Briggs' companies in 2017 to keep it open for the community.

Building Style

The museum building has a special style called Federation Free Classical. This means it uses classic design elements in a fun and creative way. Look for things like:

• A fancy top part (parapet) with a balustrade (a row of small pillars).
• Round decorations that look like globes.
• Two layers of alternating triangular shapes (pediments) above the windows.
• Arched windows and doors, like those from ancient Roman buildings.
• Decorative moldings above and below the windows.

Important Recognition

The York Motor Museum building is recognized as an important historical site. It is listed by:

• The National Trust of Australia (since March 5, 1985).
• The Register of the National Estate (since March 21, 1978).
• The Shire register (since December 31, 1995).