Posts Tagged ‘Brooklands Museum’

Celebration of 20 Years’ Work of Volunteer Team who Brought a WWII Hurricane back to life

Wednesday, August 28th, 2019

Brooklands Hurricane

The Worshipful the Mayor of the Borough of Elmbridge, local Councillors and VIPs will be joining a gathering of Trustees and supporters from Brooklands Museum to celebrate the achievements of a dedicated team of volunteers who have restored a Hawker Hurricane aircraft.

The Hurricane was Britain’s most successful fighter aircraft of the WWII era and was designed by Sydney Camm at nearby Kingston. It was assembled and first flown in prototype form at Brooklands in November 1935. Altogether, 3,012 Hurricanes were produced at Brooklands – one fifth of the total built. When the Battle of Britain was fought in the summer of 1940, it was due to the tremendous production and test flying effort at Brooklands and other factories, and to the skills of the RAF pilots, that the Hurricane became the chief victor of this decisive engagement. Almost 25% of all RAF fighters in this conflict were Brooklands-built Hurricanes.

On permanent display as part of the vast collection of aircraft at Brooklands Museum is Hawker Hurricane Z2389. Built in 1940 it served with five different RAF Squadrons in 1941, including the American volunteer 71 ‘Eagle’ Squadron at Martlesham Heath. As part of emergency war supplies for Russia, it was shipped to Murmansk on 21st May 1942. On the 20th June 1942, it engaged two Messerschmitt Bf109Fs and five Bf110s over a remote part of Murmansk but was shot down along with two other Hurricanes. The pilot, F/Lt Ivan Kalashnikov survived the forced landing.

Fifty years later it was found by Russian historians, recovered in 1996 and then acquired by Brooklands Museum in 1997. It became the first historic aircraft to be purchased with a Heritage Lottery Fund grant.

The Hurricane volunteer restoration team assembled in 1999 and has worked up until 2019 to complete the incredible restoration of this aircraft. As well as the work itself, the team, alongside Museum staff, have sourced materials, spares and raised money. Their biggest and most memorable achievement has to be sourcing a Merlin Mark II engine entirely by chance when an interested visitor said he had one sitting in his garage!

It has taken the team 60,000 dedicated man hours to rebuild the steel and wooden structure, stitch the fabric on the fuselage, paint the wings, restore the cockpit and plot’s seat to bring this iconic British aircraft to its present form. Furthermore, they have introduced this specialist area of restoration work to younger generations by encouraging Duke of Edinburgh participants to assist them; some members who completed the required levels have chosen to stay on and join the Museum’s volunteer programme.

Now, visitors to the Museum can see an original Hawker Hurricane that saw active war-time service. This milestone will be celebrated on 3rd September, 80 years to the day that Britain announced it was at war with Germany.

www.brooklandsmuseum.com

New Look for Brooklands Museum

Friday, July 12th, 2019

Brooklands Museum new logo

This week, Brooklands Museum in Surrey unveils its new logo to the public as it begins launching its refreshed brand identity across the business.

Brooklands Museum is the largest museum in Surrey, occupying 32 acres on the site of the world’s first motor racing circuit. It showcases the achievements of the pioneering men and women in motorsport and aviation since its creation in 1907. The famous Race Track and the huge aviation manufacturing factories made it a household name for much of the twentieth century. Since opening as a public Museum in 1991 it has continued to grow its collection of aircraft, racing bikes and cars as well as opening the award-winning* Brooklands Aircraft Factory. Visitors can also walk through the world’s largest privately-owned ex-London Bus collection, climb aboard the number 237 and take a seat to reminisce about the golden age of bus travel.

The new Brooklands visual style centres around a striking gold colour with and uses a series of nostalgic illustrations. Throughout July and August the museum will appear on trains and platforms across the South Western network and on double decker buses covering surrounding routes. The poster campaign focuses on a single piece of history unique to Brooklands and relates it to the present day. In one shot a Hawker Hurricane is face-to-face with a toddler in a model pedal plane who dreams of becoming a flying legend one day. In another, an archive shot of one of the leading female racing drivers from the 1930s is shown next to the statement: Breaking records and making history.

The museum’s refreshed look has been spearheaded by the Marketing Director Samantha Hart who joined the team in January 2019.

Brooklands Museum is such an incredibly special place and we felt that we needed to give it a modern image that is instantly recognisable and attractive to new visitors. We’ve spent a lot of time consulting with our volunteers, members and audiences to harness what Brooklands means to them and what we have to offer, and this will shine through in our summer visitor campaigns. Brooklands Museum is not just a transport museum; every day we walk in the footsteps of the legends and pioneers who changed the world of motorsport and aviation; so many firsts and record-breaking achievements actually happened here. We’re extremely excited about re-engaging past visitors and welcoming new guests to Brooklands Museum this year.”

The Museum is home to the legendary Concorde where you can re-live the age of supersonic flight and experience the exciting era of modern travel. This stunning aircraft stands proudly alongside the Sultan of Oman’s luxurious, private airliner and other fine examples of Brooklands Aircraft and engineering.

One of the most unique elements of this historic destination is that many of the day-to-day and specialised areas of keeping the museum alive is accomplished by a team of over 800 dedicated, skilled volunteers; one of the largest volunteer teams in the country. This could be anything from aircraft restoration, building maintenance, stewarding, archiving and welcoming and guiding visitors and groups. Spend the day exploring the interactive collections and discover what it was like to be a racing driver or pilot over 100 years ago.

Brooklands Museum guarantees a great day out for people of all ages and interests. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time as you pass through the motoring village where the original sheds, filled with historic racing cars and motorcycles, set an authentic tone enhanced by the smell of engine oil and music from the heyday of motor racing at the Brooklands Race Track. You can also hear the stories of aviation legends who pushed boundaries and overcame the impossible to change the way we travel today. During the winter season, don’t miss the chance to go behind the scenes on a Torchlight Tour, exploring Brooklands after dark in search of some of those ghostly legends.

Brooklands Museum is open daily from 10am and admission charges, directions, news and events can all be found by visiting www.brooklandsmuseum.com

Dress Up and Get Down for a Celebration of Vintage at Brooklands Museum

Wednesday, April 17th, 2019

Vintage at Brooklands Museum

The public are urged to dress up in vintage style, step back in time and immerse themselves in nostalgia well into the evening at Brooklands Museum’s annual homage to the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s on Saturday 18th May. Live period music in the dance marquee, aircraft and vehicle displays and a well-stocked trade village will mean an unmissable day as the 32 acre site brings together the fashion, music, dancing and vehicles from these great post-war decades of style.

In the dance marquee will be a rolling programme of live music, DJs and FREE dance classes while outside, under the Race Bays will be traders selling everything from clothing and records to homewares, books and magazines. Any ladies wishing to refine their look should head to the Press Hut as a vintage-style hair and make-up parlour will be set up courtesy of Hair That Turns Heads – a troupe of stylists who specialise in recreating the looks and styles from the period. Due to the high demand on the day, they are already taking appointments in advance. To discuss a booking, speak with the team directly on: 07733 383 735 or e-mail: lucy@hairthatturnsheads.co.uk.

Displays of vehicles will include saloons, tourers, vans, motorcycles, hot rods and military which will fill the Paddock, Motoring Village and surrounding areas along with re-enactor groups portraying everything from the Home Guard, RAF and Land Army Girls to civilian and family life adding to the ‘time travelling’ effect. In the skies, the organisers are planning fly-ins of period aircraft*. These will land on the airstrip opposite the Museum entrance at Mercedes-Benz World and visitors will be able to see them up close and meet the pilots.

Special guests on the day include the Vintage Tourists, a couple of globe-trotting gals who write about the very finest places to visit all with a vintage twist. They have been tasked with scouting the site for the best-dressed man and lady at this year’s event which culminates in a prize-giving ceremony in the marquee in front of eager crowds. Also making an appearance will be Studio Harlow: specialising in Hollywood style portraits, they will be setting up a free portrait studio in the Art Deco surroundings of the Ladies Reading Room in the Clubhouse. This will give visitors a chance to capture their inner film star and provide a memorable keepsake of their day.

Brooklands was the world’s first purpose-built motor racing venue which retains its 1930s appearance and buildings so is a perfect venue for such a nostalgic event as this. As well as the motoring heritage, aircraft production and flying which took place at Brooklands over an 80 year period can be fully explored by visitors as their entry ticket includes access to the incredible Award-Winning Aircraft Factory. Inside, full size sections of aircraft are displayed on ‘assembly lines’ and visitors can try some of the tooling and manufacturing skills used by workers through specially-designed interactive work stations. The centre piece in the factory is ‘R for Robert’, the Brooklands WW2 Wellington Bomber surrounded by artefacts that tell the incredible stories during this period and ‘meet’ some of the pilots, engineers and 14,000 workforce that made Brooklands one of the most productive aviation sites in Europe.

All the aircraft, racing car and motorcycle exhibition areas at the Museum will be open as usual from 10am until 5pm. However, the music and dancing will continue in the marquee until 9pm with a bar and catering to keep visitors sustained. There will be a Family Activity Zone led by the Brooklands Learning Team where children can make their own traditional toy to take home. FREE parking will be available, just follow the event signage on the day.

Tickets are available in advance at a discounted rate or on the day: Adults £14.50/£16, Seniors £13.50/£15, Children (5-16 yrs) £8/£9, Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) £38/£42. Advance discounted tickets are available from the Museum Shop or from www.brooklandsmuseum.com. Dance Classes are included in the entry price. The Concorde Experience is £5 for adults, £3 for children. Rides in the 4D Theatre are £4 for adults, £2 for children.

First to the Fastest opens at Brooklands Museum

Friday, April 5th, 2019

First to the Fastest at Brooklands

Opening 8th April 2019…

Alcock and Brown’s non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in a Brooklands-built Vickers Vimy in June 1919 was a significant moment in aviation history. Just sixteen years earlier the first ever powered flight was made by the Wright Brothers in 1903, followed by the flight trials of A.V. Roe at Brooklands in 1907. Fifty years later, in 1969, Atlantic flights had become routine but to celebrate that great endeavour and spirit of Alcock and Brown’s ground-breaking crossing, a new air race was staged. It showcased how far and fast aviation had changed with innovation at the heart of the race.

Both races were launched by the Daily Mail who put up the prize money but in ’69, the rules were even more ambitious: the race began and ended at check-in stations on the public viewing platform on the 33rd floor viewing platform of the Post Office Tower in London and the 86th floor of New York’s Empire State Building. Journeys had to be made on any of the eight days between 4th and 11th May and could be attempted more than once though only in the same direction and with the same modes of transport. It was open to professionals and enthusiasts and because it was almost certain that a military aircraft would record the fastest time, eighteen different categories of prizes were offered including one for the ‘most meritorious and ingenious’ non-winning entry. The Daily Mail race organisers clearly wanted to put some fun and excitement back into flying.

This exhibition will explore how Alcock and Brown achieved their amazing feat in the wider context of what was happening at Brooklands during a time when flight was still in its infancy. The rapidity of the technological advancements made in aviation will also be explored by discovering how, just fifty years later, it was possible to get from the heart of London to the centre of New York in just under seven hours. At the centre of this exhibition will be Brooklands Museum’s replica Vimy (which, itself, has flown across the Atlantic, to Australia and South Africa) and the Harrier GR1 XV741, which achieved the fastest time to New York from St. Pancras in London in the 1969 race. These stories are told using archive footage, historic imagery and personal accounts to bring this incredible episode in aviation history to life, celebrating the role that Brooklands played in achieving what was often seen as the impossible.

Entry to the exhibition is included in the general admission price.

Visit: www.brooklandsmuseum.com for all up to date event and Museum information.

Brooklands’ Contribution in the First World War is Recognised at Centenary Event

Wednesday, September 19th, 2018

Great War Day at Brooklands

Sunday 30th September

Brooklands Museum’s Great War Day on Sunday 30th September commemorates the centenary of the end of the First World War and Brooklands’ role in that conflict. It will highlight the historic site’s rapidly expanding aircraft production in 1916 and showcase the Museum’s mighty Vickers Vimy – a replica of the long range bomber built in 1918 which made the first non-stop trans-Atlantic flight in 1919. Visitors will be able to see the engines of this aircraft demonstrated on part of the original Brooklands Race Track alongside two WWI bi-planes from the collection: the SE5a and Sopwith Camel which has its original 1917 Clerget engine.

In and around the Paddock, in front of the Clubhouse, re-enactors and living history groups will be setting up displays showing different aspects of wartime life adding to the period flavour of the day. These include:

• The 10th Essex Group – a military display and living history group accurately depicting the British Soldier in the Great War and will be running scouting and weapon demonstrations
• The Royal Army Medical Corps and Red Cross who will be displaying their Field Hospital & Convalescence unit
• Ladies from the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (affectionately known as FANYs)
• Edwardian re-enactors in costume
Although the Track had closed to the public in 1914, the site was still very active in manufacture, record-breaking and testing. At the Kingston-based Sopwith Aviation Company factories, Camels, Snipes, Pups and Triplanes all came off the production line and were all assembled, test flown and delivered from Brooklands. In 1915, the Military Services staged some hill climb and sprint events for the personnel and officers based in the nearby Aldershot and Bisley garrisons. The Brooklands Motorcycle Team and visiting groups with war-time-era motorcycles, including examples of Triumph and Douglas which were used by the military in Belgium, will take part in a re-enactment of the ‘serpentine’ slalom course.

The event will also feature pre-1919 civilian and military vehicles which include an original 1915 Pierce-Arrow military truck, Edwardian cars and the usual array of ambulances, motorcycles and bicycles. Making a very welcome return will be the Matchless with Vickers machine gun carrier Motorcycle Combination from 1917. This is only one of three surviving motorcycle combinations from WWI left in the UK and is being kindly loaned by the Tank Museum for the event. At lunchtime, visitors will be able to see a cavalcade of period vehicles on the circuit at neighbouring Mercedes-Benz World.

All the Museum’s motoring displays and Aircraft Park will be open as usual including the Award-Winning Aircraft Factory and Flight Shed, motoring exhibitions, Concorde Experience and London Bus Museum. The gates open to the public at 10am and the event finishes at 5pm.

Normal admission charges apply: Adults £13.50, Seniors/Students £11.50, Children (5 – 16yrs) £7. Children under 5 are FREE and a Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) is £35. The Concorde Experience is £5 for Adults, £3 for Children. The 4D Theatre is £4 for Adults, £2 for Children.

For directions, videos, all event information and latest news, go to www.brooklandsmuseum.com, call 01932 857381

Engines Roar & Propellers Spin at Brooklands Aviation Day

Wednesday, August 29th, 2018

Sopwith Camel at Brooklands

Brooklands Museum Sunday 16th September

The enormous contribution Brooklands made to aviation through much of the twentieth century will be celebrated at its annual Aviation Day on Sunday 16th September. Since the first UK flight trials of A V Roe took place there in 1908, through two world wars, into the jet age and Concorde, Brooklands has been a major centre for aviation manufacture, flight and testing for over 80 years.

One of the main attractions of the day will undoubtedly be the scheduled fly-ins from visiting aircraft*. On the airstrip at Mercedes-Benz World opposite the main visitor entrance, the organisers are expecting several vintage bi-planes including Tiger Moths and a helicopter to make a dramatic entrance. After landing, spectators will be able to inspect the machines and chat to the pilots.

The Museum’s own Concorde will be running half hour virtual supersonic ‘flight’ experiences all day and opposite the Concorde in the 4D Theatre, visitors can experience a motion simulator ride with the Red Arrows as well as two racing rides. Visitors to this extravaganza will also be able to see the Museum’s incredible collection of classic cars and motorcycles plus the largest collection anywhere of Vickers and BAC aircraft, including the Varsity, Viscount and VC10 in the Aircraft Park. The Volunteers that steward the aircraft are always keen to give valuable insight into these machines and sometimes allow a visit inside the cockpit.

The WWII hangar that once stood on the Track now lies adjacent to it and has been reinterpreted as the Brooklands Aircraft Factory; once inside, visitors will experience the sights and sounds of a busy factory floor with work stations and breath taking displays showing giant sections of aircraft at various stages of manufacture. In the centre is the only surviving Wellington Bomber that saw active service in WWII. The Factory, together with the newly-built Flight Shed which houses the Museum’s live aircraft won a Museums & Heritage Award this year in the permanent exhibition category.

Also on site, the Hawker Fury, Hurricane, Sopwith Camel and mighty Vickers Vimy will all be on display. There will be static aero-engine runs* on the day and in the Paddock, the area in front of the historic Clubhouse, the largest gathering of children’s pedal planes is being attempted. Also for the youngsters will be a free aviation-themed activity and in the Museum Shop, books, models and toys all relating to aviation will be available to buy.

The Sunbeam Café and a barbecue will be open all day marking it out as a perfect day for families and friends. A full timetable for the day is on the website so you can start planning your visit.

Entrance fees are as follows: Adults £13.50; Seniors/Students £11.50; Children (5-16 yrs) £7.00; Children Under 5 FREE; Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children), £35.

For full details and up to date event information, visit www.brooklandsmuseum.com or telephone 01932 857381. The 4D Theatre rides are approximately 8 minutes long each and are priced at £4 Adults/£2 Children. The half-hour Concorde Experience is £5 Adults/£3 Children.

*Visiting helicopters, light aircraft and engine run demonstrations are subject to operational conditions.

Live Taxi Run and Guided Tours at Open Day for the Brooklands VC10 at Dunsfold Aerodrome

Tuesday, June 26th, 2018

VC10 at Dunsfold

Saturday 7th July 2018

A special open day which will include a demonstration taxi run of one of the most iconic airliners ever to grace the skies takes place at Dunsfold Aerodrome on Saturday 7th July. ‘ZA150’ was the very last VC10 of 54 built at Brooklands in the 1960s and was one of the last two to fly with the RAF from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. On its retirement in September 2013 it was acquired by Brooklands Museum and flew in to Dunsfold, where a team of dedicated volunteers maintains it in running order.

As well as seeing the low speed taxying demonstration, visitors will be able to tour inside the aircraft including the cockpit, chat to the VC10 volunteers and see for themselves how it was converted from a commercial airliner to an air-to-air refuelling tanker for the RAF. The timetable for the day is as follows:

10.30-12.30 Visits on board the aircraft – morning session ticket holders
12.30 onwards – afternoon session ticket holders may arrive from this time
12.30-13:45 Aircraft closed to prepare for taxi run at approx. 13:00 (subject to serviceability)
13.45-15.30 Visits on board the aircraft – afternoon session ticket holders

Entry to Dunsfold Park is by pre-purchased ticket only with the option of morning or afternoon sessions for access on board, with the demonstration run at around 13.00. Tickets are available from the Brooklands Museum website: www.brooklandsmuseum.com or by visiting the Museum Shop and are priced at £10 for adults, £5 for children.

The VC10’s graceful ‘T-tail’ and four rear-mounted Rolls-Royce Conway engines made it one of the most distinctive and elegant aircraft of its era. Only the supersonic Concorde amongst airliners was quicker, and the VC10 remains the fastest subsonic airliner across the Atlantic. With its quiet, spacious cabin and exceptional performance, the VC10 was a favourite of passengers and crews alike, fully justifying its epithet of Queen of the Skies.

The aircraft is one of three VC10s that form part of the Vickers fleet owned by Brooklands Museum. On the Museum site in Weybridge, Surrey is the Sultan of Oman’s VC10 which His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said most generously donated after the aircraft went into retirement in 1987. It quickly became and remains, one of the most popular exhibits in the Museum’s collection as it retains its luxurious gold-highlighted interior. Also on the Museum site is the fuselage of VC10 G-ARVM “Victor Mike”, which has been restored inside to commercial passenger jet standard, along with a special exhibition and video presentation charting the unique legacy of this aircraft.

Brooklands Museum Wins Coveted Museums + Heritage Award

Sunday, May 20th, 2018

Brooklands Museum wins coveted award

Brooklands Museum in Surrey has won the prestigious Museums and Heritage Award for Permanent Exhibition, seeing off stiff competition from some major national institutions such as the Science Museum Group and Natural History Museum. The award was announced at a gala awards ceremony in London and presented by the Reverend Richard Coles.

The award was for the ambitious Brooklands Aircraft Factory and Flight Shed, a major £8.4M project that involved dismantling, restoring and relocating a Grade 2 Listed WWII Bellman Hangar and reinterpreting it inside as an aircraft factory. As well as restoring and re-profiling the section of original 1907 Race Track where the Hangar once stood, the project also included constructing a new purpose-built Flight Shed to display live aircraft with a new archive store and workshop beneath. The Aircraft Factory and Flight Shed opened to the public in November 2017.

On why the Judges chose Brooklands as the winner, they said: “This new exhibition has it all – it’s immersive, creative, people-focused. It is astonishing in its risk-taking, has great volunteers at its heart and challenging in the way it has so brilliantly brought its collection alive.” Also, “Bold inspiring and interactive – made even more special by great people!”

The competition saw a broad range of entries from remarkable achievements of national institutions to projects crafted with limited resources and those championing their staff and volunteers who work hard to deliver inspiring visitor experiences. The Permanent Exhibition category included National Army Museum, Ashmolean Museum, London’s Natural History Museum and part of the Science Museum Group, ‘Wonderlab’ on the shortlist. Other categories included Volunteer of the Year, Educational Initiative, Marketing Campaign and Project on a Limited Budget.

Entry to the new exhibition spaces is included in the general admission price to the Museum which is open daily. The whole experience is enhanced and brought to life by volunteer stewards and demonstrators, some of them former employees of the Brooklands factories (which employed 14,000 people from surrounding towns and villages at their peak). The volunteers share their own reminiscences making every visit unique and which is a highlight for most visitors.

Brooklands Museum Director and CEO, Tamalie Newbery said, “We are absolutely thrilled to have won this award from Museums and Heritage for our Aircraft Factory and Flight Shed project. After years of planning, fundraising and the dedication and hard work of our Volunteers, Staff and supporters, we have produced a visitor experience that really is unique and fully deserving of the incredible heritage that Brooklands is famous for.” The Museum has seen record visitor figures for the same period since the new facilities opened.

Brooklands is also currently one of five finalists for the Art Fund Museum of the Year Award which is the world’s biggest museum award and will be announced on 5th July.

www.brooklandsmuseum.com

The Fabulous Forties Come to Life at Brooklands Museum

Wednesday, April 25th, 2018

Fabulous Forties at Brooklands Museum

The 1940s Relived – Saturday 12th May 2018
10am – 9pm

Live period music in the dance marquee, aircraft and vehicle displays and a well-stocked trade village will mean an unmissable day of nostalgia at Brooklands Museum’s annual homage to the 1940s on Saturday 12th May. The 1940s Relived celebrates the fashion, music, style, vehicles and social scene that epitomised this decade, giving equal weight to the Second World War and to its immediate aftermath – both important periods in the history of Brooklands. And it’s not just a show to watch – the public are urged to dress in ‘40s style and join the action on a fun-filled day that lasts well into the evening.

At the heart of the event will be the dance marquee with a rolling programme of music and FREE dance classes. Vintage specialist DJ Swing Shift will be providing the sounds, and singing live will be chanteuse Noelle Vaughn, one of the most authentic singers on the circuit. This year, the organisers are thrilled to confirm the appearance of the Kalamazoo Dance Band who will relive that golden era of big bands with familiar numbers made famous by the likes of Glen Miller, Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey.

Brooklands was the world’s first purpose-built motor racing venue which still retains its 1930s appearance and buildings so is a perfect venue for such a nostalgic event as this. Under the Race Car Bays there will be a trade village where visitors will find sellers of original and quality reproduction clothing, homewares and ephemera from the era. This year there are more sellers of vintage clothing than ever before which shows how the popularity of a love for the past is growing. Displays of vehicles will include saloons, tourers, vans, trucks and military will fill the Paddock, Motoring Village and surrounding areas along with re-enactor groups portraying everything from the Home Guard, RAF and Land Army Girls to civilian and family life adding to the ‘time travelling’ effect.

Any ladies not able to finesse their ‘40s look themselves need not worry, as a vintage-style hair and make-up parlour will be set up in the original Press Hut, manned by Hair That Turns Heads – a troupe of stylists who specialise in recreating the looks and styles from the period. Due to the high demand on the day, they are already taking appointments in advance. To discuss a booking, speak with the team directly on: 07733 383 735 or e-mail: lucy@hairthatturnsheads.co.uk. At lunchtime, anyone is welcome to have their portrait shot done in the Art Deco Ladies Reading Room inside the Clubhouse. Photographs will go up on-line and can be ordered directly from the photographer on the day.

There will be much interest, as usual, in who will win the Brooklands Best-Dressed Competition this year. Visitors are urged to don their finest period attire to attract the attention of the Brooklands Style Scouts who will be on site looking for the finest ‘40s outfits, with none other than ‘Winstan’ Churchill himself judging the finalists.

A special highlight at this year’s show will be the Museum’s Hawker Hurricane that has undergone a major restoration programme over the last few years. If the weather permits, the aircraft, built in 1940, will be displayed outdoors alongside the Air Raid Shelter by the Race Track that was used by the factory workers during wartime. Aircraft production at the site which took place over an 80 year period can be fully explored by visitors as their entry ticket includes access to the incredible Brooklands Aircraft Factory which opened in November last year. Inside, full size sections of aircraft are displayed on ‘assembly lines’ and visitors can try some of the tooling and manufacturing skills used by workers at Brooklands through specially-designed interactive work stations. The centre piece in the factory is ‘R for Robert’, the Brooklands WW2 Wellington Bomber surrounded by artefacts that tell the incredible stories during this period and ‘meet’ some of the pilots, engineers and 14,000 workforce that made Brooklands once of the most productive aviation sites in Europe.

There will be a Family Activity Zone where the Brooklands Learning Team will be leading a workshop where children can make a 3D scene featuring the Hurricane which they can colour in themselves and take home; just as in period, the help of a civilian workforce will be vital!

All the exhibition areas, aircraft, racing cars and motorcycles at the Museum will be open as usual from 10am until 5pm, and the on-site London Bus Museum will be running rides around the local area aboard period appropriate buses*. However, the music and dancing will continue in the marquee until 9pm with a bar and food to keep visitors sustained. Last entry to the site is 6pm. Additional visitor parking is in The Heights off Wellington Way – as directed by special event signage on the day.

Admission: Adults £15, Seniors £13, Children (5-16 yrs) £8, Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) £40 with advance discounted tickets available from www.brooklandsmuseum.com. Dance Classes are included in the entry price. The Concorde Experience is £5 for adults, £3 for children. Rides in the 4D Theatre are £4 for adults, £2 for children.

Volunteer Recruitment Coffee Morning at Brooklands Museum

Tuesday, April 17th, 2018

Volunteers at Brooklands

Thursday 3rd May 2018

Some fantastic volunteering opportunities will be on offer at a special event on Thursday May 3rd from 10am – 12noon at Brooklands Museum. Everyone is welcome to come along to the Museum’s Volunteer Recruitment Coffee Morning to meet some of the current volunteers and staff and discover the wide range of options to suit all ages, interests and levels of commitment.

By joining the Volunteer programme you can make a real difference to the Museum, make new friends and share your skills and experience to help preserve and interpret the heritage of Brooklands to hundreds of weekly visitors. Brooklands is the birthplace of British motor sport and aviation, home of Concorde and has just completed a multi-million pound development. The new Aircraft Factory and Flight Shed exhibitions have transformed the site and generated a lot of interest with a marked increase in visitor numbers.

There are also collections of Vickers and Hawker aircraft, vintage racing cars, motorcycles and bicycles and historic buildings where many of them were built and tested. The unique history of the site is brought to life every day with the valuable support of volunteers. In 2016 the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service was awarded to the Brooklands Volunteers – the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

Volunteers cover a wide variety of roles vital to the Museum, from stewarding and guiding both adults and school children to restoration of aircraft and vehicles, research, administration, marshalling at events, painting and gardening. Over 800 volunteers are registered at the Museum, coming from every sector of the community and professional background, and priding themselves on their professionalism, knowledge and enthusiasm. Visitors often comment about how much their visits are enhanced by interaction with them.

Entrance to the Museum to prospective volunteers is free and tours of the Museum will be available. So why not come and meet the team and Sue Lewin, Volunteer Resources Manager at Brooklands Museum. Entry is via Brooklands Drive, Weybridge, KT13 0SL. If you are interested in discussing some opportunities but are unable to make the date, please contact Sue Lewin, Volunteer Manager on 01932 857 381 Ext 242 or email volunteer@brooklandsmuseum.com

www.brooklandsmuseum.com