Cloverlands Model Car Museum

The Story of Cloverlands

In 2013, Bruce Lawson completed a biography of Charles Rolls, pioneer motorist and aviator, Victorian/Edwardian racer, garage proprietor and co-founder of Rolls-Royce.

Bruce joined the Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), which then had an American affiliate. Looking in the American magazine, he found a reference to Cloverlands Museum in Oswestry Shropshire! He telephoned a genteel lady, Gillian Rogers who asked him to visit her museum at Llantsantffraid, some fifteen miles away.  Bruce and co-chairman, the late Roy Marthews, were told there were never any visitors, but were stunned to find 1500 models in an adjoining barn, some dating back to the 1950s inspired by a birthday gift of two cars in 1954.

The models were moved to Montgomery in 2015, a further Canadian collection of 300 mint and boxed cars was offered and accepted following an article in Model Collector Magazine. Meanwhile, Gillian had recommended a knowledgeable car collector John Nunn to join the team, later joined by Gillian’s knowledgeable husband Max Tomlinson, a published author on Bugatti. 

Shortly afterwards they were joined by David Beare, another SAH member from Montgomery, with published works on Panhard, Hispano Souza and F.I.A.T, which are available to purchase. 

Gillian’s own book “Driving Through the Decades” is a charming memoir of motoring from the twenties up to the millennium, and is on sale in the museum. 

A major acquisition was of a thousand Formula 1 and touring cars from Liverpool, and since a number of other collections have been gifted or loaned. There are many  motoring pictures ,too.

Cloverlands now exhibits over 5500 items, some models themselves more than a hundred years old.

It was decided in 2021 to move the collection to Llanfair Caereinion, in premises licensed from the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (www.wllr.org.uk) to take advantage of excellent parking (for 150 cars) and existing footfall of thousands, to the heritage railway. It was felt at this time appropriate to register Cloverlands as a charity (No. 1198716).

A Friends group has been formed and the trustees believe the collection to be the largest public collection in Wales and the second largest, in the United Kingdom.

We hope you enjoy your visit. For more details, please visit www.cloverlandscarmuseum.com

The postcode/satnav for Cloverlands is SY21 0SF, and will bring you to free and spacious parking! 
Please refer to Facebook and website for opening hours as they are seasonal and are designed to fit in to some extent, with the April to October train times for the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. Saturday is a core day and specific car groups can be accommodated at other prearranged times.