Brooklands Museum: The Original Home of Motorsport and Aviation

When asked if you could name the first motor racing track in the world, what would be your answer? It’s possible you wouldn’t come up with this one - The Brooklands Motor Course, now a museum, tucked into the hillsides of Surrey, England. https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/

The Bottom of Test Hill

With so little left of the original track, this is now the finish line for those willing to tackle the hill

Landowner Hugh Locke King began construction of Brooklands as a motor racing circuit in 1906. With construction completed the following year, it opened on June 17, 1907. It was the first banked motor course in existence and hosted auto makers such as Mercedes, Bentley, and Bugatti to set speed records the likes that had never been seen before. Not only did man and his machine take on The Track, but women raced as well, and established their own records. Violette Cordery was the first woman to set an official speed record at Brooklands, while Elsie “Bill” Wisdom won in both the male and female races. Kay Petre was a highly successful racer and took on Gwenda Stewart to be the fastest woman at Brooklands.

Kay Petre

One of the fastest woman among men at the Brooklands course, Kay was a media darling due to her controversial exploits. Her racing days ended in 1937 when she was hit and crushed by a car rolling down the bank suffering severe head trauma.

Brooklands’ racing days crashed and burned, literally, when during WWII the motor course and aerodrome was seized for the war effort. Due to the closeness of the course’s configuration the course and aerodrome were bombed to the point of only a small section of the track remaining today.

In 1957, a memorial was unveiled by Lord Brabazon of Tara, to honor the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of Brooklands. A rally took place in 1967 to influence interest in forming the Brooklands Society to preserve what was left of the track and the infrastructure.

The Brooklands Memorial Wall

The 70th anniversary was celebrated in 1977 and the beginnings of the Brooklands Museum began. By 1982, the Gallaher Ltd. tobacco company purchased the land and began restoring the 1932 Aero Clubhouse and eventually moved the 1911 ticket office to the museum site. These were the only two historic buildings left after the western side of the property was developed into an industrial estate. It now features the Mercedes Benz World and a new hotel, The Brooklands Hotel.

Once the Brooklands Museum Trust Ltd. was formed, the 80th anniversary was celebrated with the reconstruction of the Members Bridge. Visitors were officially welcomed in 1990 with the opening ceremony taking place the following year, officiated by Prince Michael of Kent.

Today the museum houses many historic exhibits such as the McClaren car, a variety of classics including giant racing cars, motorcycles, and bicycle exhibits. The day we were visiting the Moonbeam classic was taking place with the oldest motorcycle dating back to 1907. In 2011, the London Bus Museum relocated to the land on the museum and features thirty-five buses dating back to the 1870s. One ticket purchased gives admission to both museum facilities.

The 1934 Singer 9ip

One of the prize possessions of days gone by.

The aviation exhibits includes the only surviving Vickers Vanguard, a 1914 Sopwith Schneider, and the gem of the museum, the Concorde B-DDBG, a model used for flight testing only. The Concorde Experience is a flight simulation on the Concorde and varies from just a walkthrough to a champagne flight simulation including a tour of the cockpit gear.

The Concorde B-DDBG

The aircraft was used on for flight testing and never few commercially

Another experience is the Brooklands Driving Experience. A driver receives thirty minutes of track time in either a prestige or classic car such as an Aston Martin, Jaguar E-type, Mercedes, a Ford Mustang, Austin Healy, and Morris Minor.

The Edwardian Clubhouse

The club houses the 1911 ticket office, the Moonbeam Cafe, a formal dining room, and a members’ bar with a viewing deck overseeing the track and grounds.

If you have the opportunity to be in Weybridge, Surrey, England, make the Brooklands Motor Course Museum a must stop. History has never been more intriguing. Become a member and make a difference in the preservation of the site. You receive a subscription to the magazine, access to the member bar and formal dining room, and special invitations to exciting events.

Cheers!