BROOKLANDS MUSEUM

I took the opportunity to visit the Brooklands Museum on a quiet Sunday morning.

The Brooklands circuit was built by Hugh Locke-King in 1907, it is the first closed-circuit race track in the world. It even pre-dates Indianapolis in America. The Museum today still contains part of the famous banking, along with some of the aircraft hangars built after the circuit closed in 1939.

The emphasis at the Museum is split between the racing history and aviation history. Even parts of Concorde were designed and tested at Brooklands!

It's a great place to visit if you are interested in either cars or aeroplanes, you can take a good day to look at all the exhibits and buildings.

 

On the left, the fully restored ERA sheds, which date from the 1930's. On the right are the Malcolm Campbell sheds, built between 1926 and 1931. Unfortunately, due to flood damage late last year, these buildings are still not open to the public, but they normally house a collection of cars and bikes.

 

Left, the view from the bottom of the Test Hill, overlooking the Clubhouse and paddock. Right, the banking looking down from the Members' Bridge.

Inside the Jackson Shed, we have, the Halford Aston Martin. On the right, still sitting on the old weighbridge inside the Clubhouse is the 1928 Dusenberg, formerly owned by motor journalist Denis Jenkinson. 

As a complete contrast, on the left we have an MG TF, on the right a McLaren MP4/6.

On the left, the Shell Petrol Pagoda, looking just as it did in the 1930's.

On the right, the Clerk Of The Course office.

I didn't want to ignore the aviation side of things, so here are just a couple of pictures, including on the right the Wellington bomber that crash landed in Loch Ness in Scotland on New Years Eve 1944. It's the only example left in the world. These aeroplanes were designed at built at Brooklands during World War II. As you can see, the propellers have been left on the aircraft as they came out of the water. They have been bent backwards when the plane crash landed.

 

If you do get a chance to visit, please do.

There are lots of other exhibits and buildings to see that I haven't included here.

gary@yesterdaysracers.com 


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Last update of this page: 17 August, 2001 19:59:54