Creative Fun At The National Motor Museum 6th – 29th August

This August, visitors to the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, can take part in a host of fun and creative Summer Activities inspired by the museum’s outstanding collections.
Sponsored by The Caravan Club, the sessions will take place in the museum on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6th – 29th August, between 12:00 – 4:00pm.

There will be a range of activities on offer including construction, colouring, and crafting.  Families can take part in a Towcar Challenge to design, build and road test their very own car and caravan.

Come along and find out more about the wonderful Motoring Collections housed at Beaulieu while you enjoy creating your own artwork and vehicles.

The activities are included in the price of your entrance ticket to Beaulieu, adult £21, child (5-12) £10.50, youth (13-17) £12.50 or £55 for a family ticket (2 adults +3 children/youths or 1 adult + 4 children/youths).

No booking is required, just drop-in and join in the exciting sessions. Visit www.beaulieuevents.co.uk for more details.

The Austin 7 - Small But Dependable - And Ready To Go Anywhere!

The annual National Austin 7 Rally, organised by the 750 Motor Club, takes place on Sunday 7th July on the Beaulieu Estate in Hampshire. Enthusiastic owners and their pre-war Austin 7s will be heading in their hundreds for the picturesque venue which provides an ideal day out for all the family as the rally entry ticket also gives access to Lord Montagu’s historic Palace House and Gardens and The National Motor Museum.

Austin 7s may be small but what they lack in size they make up for in ‘dependability’ – as evidenced by the adventures they, and their owners, get up to. The accompanying picture is a cross-section of English Austin 7s on a rally in northern France as guests of the Tacot Club Calaisen. This club is twinned with the North Hertfordshire Centre of the 750 Motor Club and will be at Beaulieu displaying a fascinating variety of their Gallic vehicles.

Further afield an intrepid group of three Austin 7s is currently making its way from Buenos Aires to New York – an epic 11,000 mile journey across twelve countries and two continents. At least one of the cars is likely to be at Beaulieu in July. You can follow the extraordinary journey online at www.austinsinamericas.co.uk/

The National Austin 7 Rally is sponsored by Warranty Direct and RH Specialist Insurers. Full details and entry forms can be found on the website: www.750mc.co.uk/austin7. Gates open at 10am and the general public is welcomed and encouraged to attend this fascinating and entertaining event.

The Austin 7 was the first truly mass-produced British car and it changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people by giving them the opportunity to buy an affordable motor car for the first time. Between 1922 and 1939 some 290,000 were built and about 8,000 are thought to still be around. The 750 Motor Club was founded in 1939. www.750mc.co.uk

Caravan Club Exhibition, National Motor Museum

An exciting new exhibition celebrating the history of leisure touring caravanning has been launched at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.

Developed in partnership with The Caravan Club and Bailey of Bristol, the display showcases The Club’s unique and historic collection of memorabilia which has been housed at the museum since 2006. Visitors can discover the story of The Caravan Club, formed in 1907, and learn how the caravan holiday has changed from its beginnings in 1885.

From the flag flown by pioneer horse-drawn caravanners to the novelty items collected by members in the 50s and 60s, the exhibition shows the highlights of The Caravan Club Collection. Many of the objects, ephemera, film footage and photographs in the exhibition are on public display for the very first time. Visitors can also discover new technologies in the caravan industry, including the development of the Bailey Alu-Tech construction system. 

This is the first permanent exhibition to have featured The Caravan Club Collection at the National Motor Museum. The Curator of The Club’s Collection, Angela Cox reports, “The exhibition reveals the wealth of material held in The Caravan Club’s Collection. Many of the items on display have been donated by Club members over the years and the exhibition is a testament to their generosity.”

The Caravan Club’s Director of Marketing, Lawrence Bate, says, “The National Motor Museum is a treasure-trove of motoring history. The Club is delighted that the museum has chosen to showcase the origins of this wonderful leisure pursuit as a permanent fixture, and to be involved with the project. It also, very importantly highlights where things stand today in terms of design, development and touring enjoyment. The Club would like to thank Bailey of Bristol, a key manufacturer of both caravans and Motorhomes, for its crucial input. ”

Stephen Munn, the National Motor Museum’s Commercial Director says:

“Following its recent opening, the Caravan Club exhibition has proved very popular with our visitors, a number of whom are touring in the area. The National Motor Museum is situated within the New Forest National Park which is a favourite holiday destination for caravan goers so the exhibition has a great resonance for many of the attraction’s 350,000 annual visitors.”

Find out more about the exhibition at www.caravanclub.co.uk
and www.nationalmotormuseum.org.uk