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Category: British Motor Museum
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The British Motor Museum’s 'Gaydon Gathering' events return for 2022 on Tuesday 12 April from 5pm – 8pm. Informal, fun evenings aimed at motoring enthusiasts, these events are completely free to attend, taking place outdoors on the Museum's arenas on the second Tuesday every month. Up to 500 vehicles attended each of the 2021 Gatherings with a truly eclectic mix of vehicle types, makes and models. All vehicles are welcome, no matter how many wheels they have or where and when they were made.
Whilst free to attend, pre-booking is essential and tickets will be released online a few weeks before each event and will be announced on social media. Tickets for the April Gaydon Gathering are available from 22 March and when they are gone, they’re gone! 
In addition to providing an opportunity for likeminded motoring enthusiasts to display their vehicles, each Gathering will also feature the 'Gaydon Garage' when the workshop doors open to reveal one of the many fantastic vehicles from the Museum’s unique collection before it’s driven around the site for everyone to enjoy. Hints as to which car will emerge from the garage will be posted on the Museum’s social media channels in the run up to the events.
Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum stated “Last years ‘Gaydon Gatherings’ proved hugely popular and we are looking forward to bringing them back for 2022. It’s an opportunity for petrol heads to indulge their passion, whilst enjoying a burger and drink, hopefully in the spring sunshine! It doesn’t matter if you have a vehicle or not, or if your vehicle is British or not, if it’s a car, commercial, military, bus, motorbike, scooter, tractor or any other interesting vehicle, just bring it along!”
Display vehicles will be parked in front of the Museum whilst there will be separate free parking for those visitors who aren’t displaying. Visitors can enjoy refreshments including burgers as well as hot and soft drinks. Wriggly Monkey Brewing from Bicester will also be on-site selling their range of lagers and ales.
The dates for 2022 Gatherings are; 12 April, 10 May, 14 June, 12 July, 9 August, 13 September, and 11 October. Dogs are welcome on leads. Please note that the Museum itself will not be open for the evening gatherings.
For more information and to book your FREE tickets for April’s Gaydon Gathering visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/gaydon-gathering-april
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Every week National Lottery players raise over £30 million for good cause projects. Having benefited from National Lottery funding, the British Motor Museum is delighted to be supporting the Open Week by offering discounted entry to all National Lottery players.
From 19 - 27 March the Museum is offering National Lottery players £2 off standard Museum entry for up to 5 people, as a thank you for the funding it received for the Collections Centre development project. Anyone who pre-books using the discount code detailed in the link below, or presents their National Lottery ticket or scratch-card on these dates will be able to take up this special offer.
The Collections Centre, which opened in February 2016, received £1.45 million of lottery funding. The Centre enables visitors to view cars from the reserve collections of both the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, and its partner the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. It also houses a vehicle restoration and conservation workshop and visitors can view the vehicle restoration projects in action for the first time in this new purpose-built facility.
The Lottery funding has also assisted with the development of its volunteer programme with over 70 volunteers regularly engaged with guiding, restoration, outreach, learning events and more.
The British Motor Museum is one of many participating National Lottery-funded projects across the UK who are proudly taking part in National Lottery Open Week, coming together to say #ThanksToYou to the players with special offers. To find out how to book the #ThanksToYou £2 off offer and its terms and conditions please visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/national-lottery-ow-terms-conditions. To find out more about other venues participating in the National Lottery Open Week visit www.NationalLotteryOpenWeek.com.
Normal Museum entry is just £40 for a family in advance or £44 on the day, £14.50 for adults in advance or £16 on the day, £12.50 for concessions in advance or £14 on the day, £9 for children (5-16 years) in advance or £10 on the day and under 5s are FREE. There is also the option to Gift Aid or donate your entry fee and get an Annual Pass in return, at no extra cost. To find out more information about the Museum please visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/ or call 01926 895300.
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The British Motor Museum is delighted to announce the appointment of Imogen Watts as its new Senior Archivist. Imogen will be responsible for the overall running of the Archive department, looking after the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust’s nationally recognised, Designated collections of documents, film and photographs, as well as the Heritage Certificate service.
Originally a Drama graduate, Imogen qualified as an Archivist in 2016. She most recently worked for Gloucestershire County Council as Corporate & Digital Records Manager.
Imogen Watts, Senior Archivist said “I’m thrilled to have joined the team at the British Motor Museum. I’m looking forward to getting to know the collections and unlocking more of its hidden gems. I will be working closely with Cat Boxall, our Curator, to deliver content for exhibitions and looking at how we can develop the archive service for the future. I would like to make the Archive collections more visible to visitors to the Museum and its channels, as well as continuing to provide dedicated access for researchers.”
Imogen will be joining the 7 strong team which includes Richard, Lisa and Sharon who deliver the Heritage Certificates service, Paramjit and Cath who look after the records in the Archive, and Sarah-Jane who runs the photographic service. The Archive collections encompass a wide range of British automotive manufacturers and connected companies, and include a variety of records from factory ledgers and sales brochures to motoring journals and the personal papers of the industry greats. The Archive also holds an extensive collection of photographs and film footage, and items from the collection are regularly included in books, publications and television programmes.
Stephen Laing, Head of Collections at the British Motor Museum said “I'm delighted to welcome Imogen to the British Motor Museum. Imogen brings a fresh perspective to how we can develop our unrivalled collections and I look forward to working with her along with the rest of our talented team to make our collections even more accessible, engaging and enjoyable for all”.
To find out more about the British Motor Museum archive please visit https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/archive or call 01926 641188
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The British Motor Museum has announced a schedule of over 30 motoring shows including several new events for 2022. This is a sizable increase on previous years and is testament to the popularity and demand for events at the Museum.
On Tuesday 18 January the Museum will host Museum Late - ‘Factor Us In’, an exclusive opportunity to delve into the history of the West Midlands motor industry and meet the fantastic team behind the insightful 'Factor Us In' Exhibition. The evening also includes a talk from the Museum’s history volunteers and a two course supper.
Following on from the success of the first event, the Quiz Night returns for a second time on Tuesday 8 February. Led by special guest, Danny Hopkins of Practical Classics, teams of up to 6 can compete and enjoy a fun night out while testing their motoring knowledge. There will be a mix of questions to keep everyone entertained, not just classic car buffs. Supper is included too!
Last year’s free evening ‘Gaydon Gatherings’ proved very popular with hundreds of vehicles turning up on the second Tuesday of every month, so these events will return from Tuesday 12 April in the same format as a fun, free and informal evening gathering for motoring enthusiasts and all vehicle makes and models.
New for 2022 is a special Members only event, which will take place on Friday 29 April. ‘Museum on the Move’ will showcase a selection of cars from the collection with the opportunity for Members to ride in them. Also new for 2022 is an “Austin Seven Centenary Exhibition,” opening in June, it will replace the ‘Factor Us In’ Exhibition which ends in May.
Meanwhile, the Museum will welcome back many of its key shows in 2022 including the Gaydon Land Rover Show on 7 & 8 May, National Metro & Mini Show on 5 June & Classic & Vintage Commercial Show on 11 & 12 June.
Other shows include the new Ultimate BMW Car Meet on 10 April, the new Indoor Doll and Teddy Fair on 15 May, the return of the indoor UK Slot Car Festival on 28 & 29 May and a new Wythall Buses Fest on 3 July. The Electric Vehicles Festival returns on 3 July and the BMC & Leyland Show on 10 July followed by the Old Ford Rally celebrating 35 years of the Capri 280 and a new Rootes Heritage Day on 17 July.
A new Big MINI Show for BMW Minis will take place on the 24 July and the 999 Emergency Services Show on 13 & 14 August. On Saturday 3 September Jaguars at Gaydon will celebrate the Swallow Sidecars Centenary. The Retro Truck Show returns on 11 & 12 September and on Sunday 25 September MGB will celebrate their 60th Anniversary event. The last two shows of the year include the indoor Large Model Aircraft show on 23 October and Great British Model Railway Show on 29 & 30 October.
For more information about any of the upcoming events, please visit www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on. Prices for 2022 will stay the same as 2021 for those booking in advance, however on the day prices will increase. Please book in advance to save! Tickets will be on sale in the new year.
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The British Motor Museum is to host an exclusive evening for visitors to join the ‘Factor Us In’ exhibition team and delve deeper into the history of the West Midlands motor industry. This special evening takes place on 18 January, and is part of a series of Museum Lates running over the winter months. The exhibition, which opened in July and will run until summer 2022, is the culmination of a 2 year project to uncover the stories behind the British motor industry.
Visitors will be able to explore the exhibition and discover first hand from the Curator the stories about how the motor industry has impacted the surrounding landscapes, people and businesses of the West Midlands, with a focus on Canley in Coventry, Longbridge in Birmingham and Lode Lane, Solihull.
The evening also includes a fascinating look at The Evolution of the British Motor Industry with a history talk by Museum volunteers Robert Venn and Cameron Slater. This will look into the issues that have made their mark on the British motor industry including new technologies, production methods, engineering advancements, globalisation, fossil fuels and long-term pollution.
During the evening visitors will have the opportunity to chat to Curator, Catherine Griffin and the characters who are instrumental in bringing the exhibition to life, plus find out what inspired the team to bring the communities around the factories into the Museum's limelight.
Catherine Griffin, Curator at the British Motor Museum said “We are delighted to be hosting this fascinating Museum Late around our insightful ‘Factor Us In’ exhibition. If you have an interest in motoring history or you have ever wondered how exhibitions are brought to life at the British Motor Museum, we're giving you an exclusive opportunity like never before to find out”.
A ‘works canteen’ style supper of stew and dumplings will be served as part of the evening. There will be a choice of Beef Stew and Dumplings with New Potatoes or Root Vegetable and Butterbean Stew with Herb Dumplings and New Potatoes (Vegan & Vegetarian) followed by a traditional Treacle Sponge with Custard.
Tickets cost £15 each or £10 for Members and free for Premium Members. As this event is outside normal Museum opening hours Annual Passes are not valid. Pre-booking is essential and there are limited places available so early booking is advised.
To find out more information please visit the website at https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/whats-on/museum-late-fui or call 01926 641188.
All proceeds of the event will go towards the vital work of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust.
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