Updates and exhibits for UK motor museums

The National Motor Museum in Beaulieu has announced plans for a major refresh of its entrance galleries and a new exhibit after receiving National Lottery funding, while the British Motor Museum in Gaydon has added another roomʼs worth of motoring history.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded the National Motor Museum £226,000, which will be used to update the welcome area and create a new, permanent exhibition called The Ages of Motoring (above). It will showcase the technical and social development of the car from the 19th century to the present day. The exhibition is described as a first step in a plan to reimagine the collections centre. Funds will also be used for new outreach initiatives.

Meanwhile, the British Motor Museum in Gaydon has also added a new exhibition, with a tribute to Herbert Austin. The Austin founderʼs office has struggled to find a permanent home for many years. It has arrived from Longbridge, where it had already been relocated from its original position on the Coventry site, which is now owned by MG Motor UK (SAIC). Following a remodelling of the Gaydon museumʼs interior, Austinʼs office now sits next door to that of arch-rival William Morris, whose workspace has been at Gaydon since 1994.

This news follows the long-term loan of eight historic MG Rover prototypes from MG Motor UK, which had also been struggling for a home at Longbridge (News & events, February).