Bentley Foundation Museum - Four Themes

1.  WO Bentley his life and times
2. Bentley Motors
3. Bentley Drivers Club
4. WO Bentley Memorial Foundation

The Museum tells the story of Bentley the man and Bentley the car from the birth of Walter Owen (WO) Bentley in 1888 to the present day.  The story is told with a permanent display and changing exhibitions which focus on aspects of the Bentley Legend and on the personalities who contributed so much to the Legend.

Current highlights include the award winning model of a Bentley rotary aeroplane engine (BR2) engineered by L.K.Blackmore.  The BR2 was the big brother of the BR1 both of which made a substantial contribution to World War 1 powering the Sopwith Camel and the Sopwith Snipe.  It was for his war work which WO received an MBE which is a prized artifact of the Foundation.

There is an example of Bentley’s first car engine, a 1920s 3 Litre and a 1930s model of a racing Bentley commissioned by Rolls-Royce.  The archives contain many original documents including the original Bentley service records and many pre and post war service and build records.

An exhibition celebrating the centenary of Bentley racing sucesses, which will include the second Bentley ever built (EXP 2), will be opened after Bentley Silverstone in August 2021.  The archives also contain photographs and objects that illustrate Bentley’s racing history, from the 'Bentley Boys' of the 1920s through the Le Mans win of 2003 to the current Contenential GT3.

The Museum also tells the eighty year story of the Bentley Drivers Club, from its inception in Brooklands car parks in 1936 to today’s renowned worldwide motoring organisation, as well as the development and work of the WO Bentley Memorial Foundation.
The building which houses the Museum is the purpose built clubhouse of the Bentley Drivers Club and contains the Foundation’s Library and Archive for those who wish to carry out their own research.
 

Open Monday to Thursday 9.00am to 4.00pm by appointment only.

Admission is Free - Donations to the Foundation are very welcome.

Visitor Facilities  - Private parking area, shop with Bentley related clothing, models and books.

Disabled Access - Ground floor with disabled toilet, lift to 1st floor.

Public Transport - No public transport to the site, there is a bus to Wroxton from Stratford on Avon or Banbury.  The Museum is 1.3 miles from the village.