Tag Archives: National Motor Museum

The Royal Caravan returns to Buckingham Palace

18 Friday Jul 2014

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The Caravan Club’s gift to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, will feature at this year’s summer exhibition

The child-sized Royal Caravan was presented by The Caravan Club to the young Prince Charles and Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace in 1955. A tow hitch was specially fitted to a Hillman Husky from the Royal fleet and, shortly after the caravan’s presentation, the Royal children were towed around the Palace grounds by their father.

In recent years the caravan has been on display at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu. However, today it was reinstalled at Buckingham Palace, where it will be one of the highlights of the highly anticipated exhibition – ‘Royal Childhood’. The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday 26 July. More details HERE

Fully roadworthy and functioning (apart from the hotplate!) The Royal Caravan was first built by Rollalong Limited of Ringwood, Hampshire. It was fully restored by the same company during The Caravan Club’s Centenary year in 2007 and visited the Palace again for The Club’s Centenary celebratory Royal Garden Party. More recently, it has been a popular exhibit at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, and formed part of a prestigious display celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2012.

Director of Membership for The Caravan Club, Brian Savage, says, “The Caravan Club is Europe’s largest touring organisation. It represents over one million caravanners, motorhomers and trailer-tenters and owns the largest network of privately owned sites, with His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh Patron since 1952.”

Angela Willis, Curator of The Caravan Club Collection at The National Motor Museum, adds, “The pastime of caravanning is seen as a national institution and part of Great British heritage, with The Caravan Club a testament to the popularity of this pastime, being 107 years old and an integral part of UK tourism today. The Royal Caravan is a very popular attraction with visitors at the museum and it is truly wonderful that it will, once again, be in the Palace for even more people to see.”

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

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Unseen Donald Campbell speed record footage restored

17 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by in Exhibitions and Shows

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Donald Campbell is the only person to have broken both land and water speed records in the same year. Unseen family footage of Donald Campbell breaking the land and water speed records in 1964 has been restored to mark their 50th anniversaries. That year in Australia, Campbell set a new land speed record of 403.10mph (644.96km/h) on 17 July, and on water he reached 276.33mph (444.71km/h) on 31 December.

The film has been restored at Beaulieu National Motor Museum.

From 1955, piloting the Bluebird K7 jet-powered hydroplane, Campbell set seven world water speed records. He was killed at Coniston Water, Cumbria, in January 1967 while trying to improve on his 1964 record, at Lake Dumbleyung, by reaching more than 300mph (480km/h).

His Bluebird CN7, in which he set his 1964 land speed record on the dry bed of Lake Eyre, is part of a display at the museum.

Campbell’s nephew and land speed record holder Don Wales said: “It’s about time that people fully recognised that Donald Campbell should be remembered for that fabulous achievement and not just for the crash that ended his life.”

The film, How Long A Mile – which Campbell directed, will be shown in public for the first time at a sold-out event at the Hampshire museum on Saturday.

Campbell’s Bluebird CN7 is part of a display at Beaulieu National Motor Museum

SOURCE

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

National Motor Museum Trust wins Heritage Lottery Fund Support.

23 Monday Jun 2014

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The National Motor Museum Trust, Beaulieu, will commemorate the centenary of the First World War in a forthcoming project, Caravans and Charabancs – Leisure Motoring After the First World War. The Trust has been awarded £97,200 by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to undertake this innovative project over a two-year period.

Caravans and Charabancs will explore the untold legacy of this devastating conflict, charting how accelerated social and technological developments in wartime led to a revolution in leisure motoring in the decades that followed. A programme of community events, exhibitions and social media campaigns will encourage the public to engage with previously unseen aspects of the National Motor Museum’s Designated Photographic Collection and that of The Caravan Club Collection.

HLF funding will also enable the Museum to purchase and preserve a unique private collection of over 400 historic photographs and postcards featuring charabancs, the forerunner to the long distance coach, which offered affordable day trips to the British public. This collection will be integral in telling the little-known story of the First World War’s influence on post-war leisure motoring.

“As the war ended, those that returned home often did so with new ambitions and a bonus in their back pocket. Many were introduced to motor vehicles on the battlefield, and some were inspired to put their new-found skills to good use in peacetime”, explains Curator of The Caravan Club Collection, Angela Willis.

“Ex-war vehicles and surplus parts were sold off by the government at knock-down prices. These became the building blocks of charabancs and trailer caravans, fulfilling the demand for leisure journeys into the next decade.”

The National Motor Museum’s Director of Collections Andrea Bishop said: “The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund is supporting this community-based project which enables us to participate in the First World War commemorations. We look forward to engaging with new audiences as we explore and develop our Designated Collections, and to working with all project partners, including The Caravan Club.”

For more information visit HERE

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

Summer Holiday 2013 Workshops inspire young talent.

05 Tuesday Nov 2013

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During the summer holidays, families visiting the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu were able to join in a series of fun drop-in creative activities, supported by The Caravan Club, including construction, colouring and crafting. Families could also take part in a Towcar Challenge to design, build and road test their very own car and caravan.

The children whose artwork was most eye-catching and creative were invited back to the museum to receive their prizes from Lady Montagu. Dominic Field (10) from Surbiton was the Overall Design winner, Gracie Pugh (7), from Watford, won Best Caravan Design and Alice Hann (7), from Bournemouth, received the most Facebook ‘Likes’. Jacob McCartney (8), from Burnley made the Most Roadworthy design.

Just under one thousand children and their families joined in the drop-in activities at Beaulieu and at the Caravan Club’s New Forest Centenary Site at Bransgore. Goodie bags of prizes for the winners included Caravan Club and Beaulieu gifts.

Angela Cox, Curator of the Caravan Club Collection said: “The Caravan Club was delighted to have sponsored the activities, which drew inspiration from its historic Collection housed here at the museum. The standard of creativity among young visitors this year was incredible, highlighting talented engineers and designers of the future.”

Chris Gutteridge, the museum’s Access & Learning Officer added: “We have been running these popular workshops for a number of years now and they provide a fantastic opportunity for families to access the collections of the National Motor Museum and the Caravan Club. We thank The Caravan Club for its support.”

Christopher Macgowan
@motorhomenews

Black Knowl.

20 Thursday Jun 2013

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20130620-190634.jpg The Caravan Club’s Black Knowl site near Brockenhurst in the New Forest is hugely popular.

It has 127 pitches – nearly all of them grass – and is set in the midst of the ancient royal hunting forest of William the Conqueror and which is now a National Park. It is particularly popular with walkers but also has Bucklers Hard, the National Motor Museum and Exbury Gardens and steam railway on the doorstep.

Christopher Macgowan
twitter: motorhomenews

BEAULIEU WINS PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARD

22 Wednesday May 2013

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20130522-213118.jpg The Beaulieu attraction has been awarded Gold in the Large Visitor Attraction of the Year category at VisitEngland’s prestigious 2013 Awards for Excellence ceremony.

Beaulieu received its award from Sue Gill, Head of Skills & Training at Tourism South East. The VisitEngland citation stated: This attraction exceeds expectation. There are ‘attractions’ within Beaulieu that could be stand-alone businesses in their own right. Interpretation and presentation are of a very high standard throughout. Staff excel in customer care and their enthusiasm creates a ‘special’ experience for every visitor. Nothing is ‘too much trouble’ and their ‘can do’ attitude comes to the fore. Beaulieu really is a memorable and enjoyable attraction for all.

Beaulieu’s Commercial Director, Stephen Munn, said: “England is world-renowned for the quality of its visitor attractions, which number over 6,000, and with this award Beaulieu is delighted to be recognised as the ‘best of the best’.”

VisitEngland’s Chief Executive, James Berresford, said: “The quality of the 320 applications we received was very high, making the competition for a Gold Award extremely tough. It is therefore a tremendous achievement for Beaulieu to win a Gold Award, the highest accolade for Excellence in Tourism which VisitEngland can bestow. They raised the bar for excellence which others can aspire to. I warmly congratulate them.”

Beaulieu was one of the first stately homes to open its doors to visitors in 1952 and in the 60 years since, has developed into an award winning attraction that offers something for all ages and tastes. In addition to the world famous National Motor Museum it features World of Top Gear, Palace House and 13th century Beaulieu Abbey.

To celebrate Beaulieu’s 60th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films in 2012, the attraction played host to BOND IN MOTION. This exclusive, official exhibition of 50 original James Bond vehicles, is the largest of its kind staged anywhere in the world. The exhibition has brought a whole new audience to the attraction and, due to its phenomenal success, its run has been extended to 5th January 2014.

Click HERE to go to Beaulieu website.

NOTE: The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu has a dedicated clearly signed motorhome parking area for daytime use.

Christopher Macgowan
twitter: motorhomenews

BOND IN MOTION

06 Tuesday Nov 2012

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The National Motor Museum, Beaulieu is proud to announce that BOND IN MOTION, the exclusive official exhibition of 50 original James Bond vehicles, will be continuing throughout 2013.

The exhibition, is the largest of its kind staged anywhere in the world and features 50 original vehicles from the James Bond films, including some of the best loved and most iconic.

The exhibition, staged to celebrate 50 years of this enduring film franchise is brought right up to date with four vehicles from the 23rd and latest Bond film SKYFALL which premiered last month; the Land Rover Defender 110 and two Honda CRF250R motorcycles that feature in the opening sequence as well as the vehicle most recently added to the exhibition, the Aston Martin DB5.

Beaulieu’s Commercial Director, Stephen Munn said: “Since its opening, BOND IN MOTION has been an outstanding success, attracting over 400,000 visitors from all over the world. This critically acclaimed exhibition has been a fantastic addition to the National Motor Museum and we are delighted to have the opportunity to extend its run and welcome even more Bond fans throughout 2013.”

BOND IN MOTION features a whole range of vehicles which have appeared in Bond films over the years including cars, boats, motorbikes, jets and many more. This collection of iconic movie vehicles includes the Phantom lll Rolls-Royce from GOLDFINGER, the Lotus Esprit S1 affectionately nicknamed ‘Wet Nellie’ from THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, the Bede Acrostar jet famously flown in OCTOPUSSY, the original SFX Cello Case Ski famously navigated by Timothy Dalton in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS the original villain Parahawk featured in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH and the Aston Martin DBS from CASINO ROYALE

BOND IN MOTION will run to 5th January 2014 and can be seen as part of a visit to the whole Beaulieu attraction. Advance tickets, at a special rate, are available to buy online at http://www.beaulieushop.co.uk. For further information on the exhibition click HERE

Any interest in a gathering at Beaulieu – which has a dedicated motorhome car park – maybe in the New Year to brighten up a dull January??!!

Christopher Macgowan
twitter: motorhomenews

Lovely this weekend at Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu estate.

14 Sunday Oct 2012

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Beautiful day here at Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu estate in Hampshire. The Bond in Motion exhibit at the National Motor Museum continues to impress the museum’s thousands of visitors. And the new Bond film is getting rave reviews as well.

Christopher Macgowan
twitter: motorhomenews

BOND, JAMES BOND…

22 Thursday Dec 2011

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If you’re in need of some winter entertainment, it’s hard to beat hanging out with 50 cars from the James Bond movies. On January 17, the Bond In Motion exhibition will open up at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu. The exhibition runs until next December so plenty of time to see some of the finest machines ever to appear on film – it’s the largest exhibition of its kind staged anywhere in the world, so Britain is indeed blessed.

Some of the cars that will be on show have only ever been seen by the public in the movies. They include the grunty Ford Mustang Mach 1 from Diamonds Are Forever, the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II as driven by the evil Zukovsky on The World Is Not Enough and a retro classic, the 1962 Roller that was pushed into a lake with Bond still inside in A View To A Kill.

As well as 50 awesome automobiles, there will be some other Bond curiosities on display such as the burial-at-sea bed from You Only Live Twice, the Union Jack parachute and surfboard with concealed weapons from Die Another Die (shame about the rubbish song) and the Casino Royale plane based on a Boeing 747 and the original “Pig” used to smuggle Koskov through a Siberian pipeline in The Living Daylights (not one of the best Bond films but the Pig was a cool idea).

It all sounds like a ton of fun and a TotallyMotor road trip to Beaulieu could well be on the cards, ideally in an Aston Martin…

Christopher Macgowan
twitter: motorhomenews
SOURCE: totallymotor

BEAULIEU JOINS THE ROYAL WEDDING CELEBRATIONS.

08 Friday Apr 2011

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On Friday 29th April, come down for an enjoyable day at Beaulieu to celebrate the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

For the patriotic visitor, tours will be on offer throughout the day to explore the historical links between the Beaulieu Estate and the Royal Family, which date back to the very beginnings of the Estate in 1204, when King John gave a gift of land to the Cistercian monks for them to build Beaulieu Abbey. On a tour, learn about the connections between British Royalty and the incumbents of the Beaulieu Estate, including Charles II from whom the current Montagu family are descended.

In 1899, Edward, Prince of Wales, had one of his first rides in a motor car with Lord John Montagu. More recently, in 1985, to celebrate the centenary of the motor car, HRH Prince Charles opened ‘Wheels’ the high-tech pod ride in the National Motor Museum. In 2005, Princess Anne opened the Secret Army Exhibition, telling the story of Beaulieu’s wartime role as a training ground for secret agents.

At the end of your tour, why not toast the newly married Kate and Wills in the Brabazon Restaurant, whilst enjoying a special Royal Cream Tea as well as a wide selection of home-made cakes and pastries, and speciality teas.

We also have plenty available for those visitors wishing to escape the fanfare surrounding the Royal Wedding. Visit the National Motor Museum to see the latest exhibition, ‘Feats of Endurance’, showcasing vehicles that stretch the boundaries of motoring endurance. The museum has over 250 vehicles telling the story of motoring, from World Land Speed Record Breakers to F1 racers. Take a wander through Jack Tucker’s garage, which recreates the sights, sounds and smells of a typical 1930s country garage, and ride on ‘Wheels’, a fascinating journey through 100 years of motoring history.

Currently wowing Beaulieu’s visitors is the World of Top Gear, featuring actual vehicles used by presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May for some of their most ambitious challenges on the TV show over the years. The James Bond exhibition is also well worth a visit, displaying genuine vehicles and memorabilia that have starred in the unforgettable films.

Younger visitors can enjoy the Mini Car Circuit and Mini Motor PlayTrail, whilst the Monorail and open-topped London Bus are an exciting way for everyone to explore the grounds. Don’t miss the stunning artwork on display in the Beaulieu gardens.

Beaulieu will be open from 10am to 5pm, and free parking is available on site. For more information, please telephone 01590 612345, or visit http://www.beaulieu.co.uk

THE NATIONAL MOTOR MUSEUM AT BEAULIEU HAS DEDICATED PARKING FOR MOTORHOMES.

Christopher Macgowan