PLACES TO GO
Cotswold Motoring Museum and Toy Collection
THE MODERN GENERATION possibly looks back at the mid-20th Century and imagines it to have been a somewhat monotone world. Yet cross the old bridge over the stream at beautiful Bourton-on-the-Water, and enter the mellow stone buildings of the 18th Century watermill that is now the Cotswold Motoring Museum and Toy Collection, and you’re in for a shock. Smiling staff will welcome you to a riot of colour in its halls, with some 800 enamel signs hanging on the walls and in the rafters. Along with the petrol globes, cans and pumps, they’d be worth the admission alone.
Mike Cavanagh assembled the initial collection. He once found a Pegasus Motor Spirit enamel sign lashed to a gate near his home in Eastern Cape, South Africa, traced the owner and bought it, and thus was started his enthusiasm for collecting automobilia.
The museum has much more, along with a fabulous collection of cars – not exactly exotica, but superbly appealing. For instance, there’s a 1935 Austin taxi made even more interesting by its history; it’s covered more than 700,000 miles, and was taken by Mike to South Africa and then brought back to England in 1977. Soon after, he bought the mill to house his finds.
He carried on adding to his collection for two decades, until it was acquired by the CSMA – the Civil Service Motoring Association. During the ownership of that organisation the museum has grown and flourished, without losing any of its original owner’s air of enthusiasm. It’s literally bursting with cars, motorcycles and even caravans. The cars are mostly British, and include fine examples of a 1930 Austin Swallow and Chummy, 1934 MG J2, 1950 MG Y and MG TD, 1933 Morris Minor, 1936 Austin Nippy, 1937 Austin 10 Clifton, Jaguars MkV and XK140, and more, totalling around 30. There are some 20 motorcycles, including a 1924 Indian twin, 1934 Levis, 1936 Brough Superior and 1919 ABC motorised scooter. An 1864 boneshaker, 1888 Hudson pennyfarthing and more cater for bicycle enthusiasts.
This is more than a transport museum. It’s a trip into the past, with every room representing an era of the 20th century. The Jack Lake Room represents Jack’s Bourton garage. One of the town’s first three drivers, he went from chauffeuring to running a garage near the museum for 60 years. His office has been reconstructed here, and is surrounded with artefacts representing a typical country garage.
In another room, an MG 1300 crashes over a muddy road. The car was driven by Tony Davies – former CSMA chairman – and Alan Smith on the 1994-95 Monte Carlo Challenge Rallies. They won their class that second year. And don’t miss the replica of Henry Ford’s 1896 Quadricycle, built by Ford apprentices in 1963.
The toy collection is entrancing, from fabulously detailed pedal cars to Scalextric and Meccano, and it includes the kids’ TV star ‘Brum’. Meanwhile, John Attwater’s huge scale model collection represents every Ford made.
This bright, happy place is a great credit to the CSMA, which has expanded the collection without losing any of its charm. The gift shop is one of the best, too, with a large range of model cars among all the other motoringrelated merchandise, postcards and books. The informative museum guide reflects this fabulous gem set in the heart of the Cotswolds. Cotswold Motoring Museum and Toy Collection, The Old Mill, Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire GL54 2BY is open daily 10am-6pm from mid-February to mid-December. Admission: Adults £5.75; Children 4-16 years £4.10. Family: Two adults and two children £18. www.cotswoldmotoringmuseum.co.uk for further info.