Brooklands Museum

[WokingWedger]

As a 'Brooklands Trust member' I have just received the following notification.

For the past week we have been working with BBC News on an announcement that will have a significant impact on the future of the Museum and our ability to tell the inspiring story of Brooklands. This announcement is due take place, subject to the inherent vagaries of news scheduling, on the BBC News Channel at around 4pm today, and subsequently repeated at 5pm as well as being featured in the main Six O’Clock News bulletin on BBC One. It will also appear on the BBC News website shortly after its official announcement.



Due to the nature of BBC News scheduling we won’t be able to confirm full details until after the announcement has been broadcast, but as soon as we can we will email you again with further details. In the meantime we hope you will be able to watch one of the broadcasts and we look forward to updating you as soon as possible.

Any ideas anyone ?

Lottery money ?

[krisdelta]

Knocking it down and building flats? Unless it's listed of course..

[gtidriver]

I hope its not closing, its one of my lads favourite places to visit.

[LotusOmega375D]

Hosting next year's Moto GP race?

[hufggfg]

Hopefully a big cash injection! Not too hopeful though.

Incidentally don't C5 film with new Classic Car Show there?

[gtidriver]

Wouldn't Mercedes buy it rather than develop it for housing.

[Ved]

Hopefully positive. I'd like to see MB stop using the remains of the banking as a overflow carpark and actually tidy it up.

[LotusOmega375D]

hufggfg said:

Incidentally don't C5 film with new Classic Car Show there?

Yes but their studio is apparently buried deep beneath the banking, like a sort of Bat Cave. Maybe the Trust are going to fill it in with concrete due to subsidence. Hopefully whilst they're filming.

[Ved]

Hopefully positive. I'd like to see MB stop using the remains of the banking as a overflow carpark and actually tidy it up.

[Dr Jekyll]

Ved said:

Hopefully positive. I'd like to see MB stop using the remains of the banking as a overflow carpark and actually tidy it up.

I actually quite like being able to drive on the Brooklands banking when I visit MB and the museum. Childish I know.

[SydneyBridge]

would be nice to restore (and somehow make use of) some more of the banking although most of it has been built over.
There always seems to be tons more people at MB world than at Brooklands, but agree about the banking being used as a car park

[Ved]

Dr Jekyll said:

Ved said:

Hopefully positive. I'd like to see MB stop using the remains of the banking as a overflow carpark and actually tidy it up.

I actually quite like being able to drive on the Brooklands banking when I visit MB and the museum. Childish I know.

I like it too and I did have a bit of a go up and down but it looks like an afterthought when it should be celebrated. Keep it certainly but at least get the weed killer out

[gtidriver]

I went to Merc world maybe 3 times before i found Brookland museum was behind it. Better signs from Merc world would help.

[hufggfg]

LotusOmega375D said:

Yes but their studio is apparently buried deep beneath the banking, like a sort of Bat Cave. Maybe the Trust are going to fill it in with concrete due to subsidence. Hopefully whilst they're filming.

from what i've seen so far I entirely agree!

[itannum990]

Hopefully epic news.. love the place.

May I tell you a little tale. Several years ago, wife and I were having a look around the banking (maybe in the marshalls areas, bunker rooms, don't know ehat they were tbh..) a low loader turned up, Bugatti type 49 - please correct me if wrong model, the rather well known racer - was carefully unloaded off the back.

At least three generations of a family also arrived in a couple of cars. An elderly man, with the biggest smile I've ever had the fortune to witness, with all his family (and me and princess at a respectful distance) watching, filming and photo-ing, got the car started and drove along the remains of the banking, got the car turned around (no mean feat) went back and repeated.

The old man was in tears of joy the whole time, as was his family, and the Brooklands staff attendendant.
I don't know their story, and I didn't approach them, but that must have been one of the most magical days out of their lives.

I'll certainly never forget it.

[ecsrobin]

It really is a hidden gem and I must go again sometime, I completley ignored the bus museum there.

[krisdelta]

It's a great museum and I hope it is good news, not bad.

[chrisjcoe]

I saw that announcement too, and hope it's good news. Despite it being 2 hours drive from me, it's one of my favourite places to go.

I'm sure that some of the museum site was donated to them by local businesses after the track was carved up for development. I'd hope that covenants prevent the museum site from being sold for development. They also have very ambitious plans in place to develop the site further.

[Ean218]

Seems very strange to keep carping on about BBC this and that in the message.

If other news outlets aren't announcing it via the normal means of a press release and embargo, does that mean the BBC themselves are involved in whatever it is?

[bungle]

Was looking at that yesterday as a potential place to visit with my 7 year-old. Good for kids? He's not car-mad, but has an interest in cars/planes/buses etc.