British Motor Museum - all geared up for summer visits

Published: 29/07/2020

The British Motor Museum reopened its doors on 4 July on a Friday to Monday basis. Following great support from visitors the Museum is delighted to announce that from 1 August, it will now be open every day of the week throughout August.

The Museum has been awarded the ‘We’re Good to Go’ industry charter mark by VisitEngland which means everything is in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable visit. Numbers are limited per day, with pre-booking a timed arrival slot essential. This also includes those with annual passes. There are 10am, 11am, 12noon and 1pm slots available. Once at the Museum visitors can stay as long as they wish until closing.

To adhere to the Covid guidelines the Museum has had to make a few changes to the visitor experience which are detailed on the welcome back web page at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/news/welcome-back. The Museum has received some very positive feedback from visitors about the measures it has in place and how safe people feel about their visit. There is still plenty to see and do with over 300 British historical cars to explore. The outdoor play area is also open for younger visitors who need to let off some steam and the ever popular science shows will also be running 4 days a week!

The Museums Café has registered for the Government’s ‘Eat out to Help out’ scheme.  Those visiting the Café on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday can get a discount of up to 50% when eating or drinking soft drinks, with a maximum discount of £10 per person.

With outside gatherings given the go ahead by the Government, the Museum has decided to host as many of its events as possible. With safety in mind, the shows will be more  informal gatherings, with reduced numbers.

The Gaydon Land Rover Show will take place on 1 & 2 August as an informal ‘bring your Land Rover’ gathering for those that have pre-bought tickets and want to meet up with other Land Rover owners. Existing Land Rover Show tickets will be valid for those that wish to attend and camping is available on the Saturday night. The Gaydon Land Rover Show hopes to return to its normal format on 8 & 9 May 2021.

The Classic and Vintage Commercial Show will now be a Classic Commercial Vehicle Gathering which will take place on 8 & 9 August with outdoor display parking and a smaller outdoor trade area. The indoor trade and model area will be much reduced with only approximately 10 out of the usual 160 tables exhibiting. Camping will be available on the Friday and Saturday nights. Entry will be by advance entry form or advance ticket only and existing entries will be carried forward. The #EV Electric Vehicles Festival will be going ahead on the 8 August on the Southern Arena. Attendees to the #EV Festival will also be able to view the Classic Commercial Vehicle Gathering and vice versa.

Yakushi Car Club will now meet on 15 August and the Old Ford Rally will take place on 23 August with a small arena along with a commentator and a singing group. The Buses Festival was originally planned for 23 August but has unfortunately been postponed until 21 August 2021.

September kicks off with a newly announced ‘Jaguars at Gaydon’ event on 5 September. Billed as a friendly, informal gathering for all Jaguar fans, owners and enthusiasts alike, it will feature hundreds of Jaguar cars and celebrate the XJS Club's national day. The National Metro & Mini Show and BMC & Leyland Show will take place on 6 September and the Great British Model Railway Show on 7 & 8 November.

Mogfest, which was due to take place on 26 September, has been postponed to 10 July 2021 as has the Retro Truck show which will now take place on 11 & 12 September 2021.

Tom Caren, Show Manager at the British Motor Museum stated “Whilst we’ve had to make further changes to our shows we are delighted that we are now able to bring motoring enthusiasts together at our newly formatted informal gatherings. It has been encouraging that we have had so much support and we would urge any club looking to organise an outside gathering to get in touch about using us as an approved venue.”

The Museum will continue to monitor the Government advice and keep visitors informed of any changes. In line with the Museum’s new policy, all visitors and exhibitors to any of the gathering/event must pre-book tickets and provide contact details so the Museum can fulfil its NHS Test and Trace commitment.

Tickets bought for any of the shows original dates are valid for the new dates and refunds are available for those no longer able to attend. The deadline for refund requests is one week before the event. Please contact bookings@britishmotormuseum.co.uk

or phone 01926 649649. Tickets to the gatherings also include entry to the Museum & Collections Centre. To find out more about the British Motor Museum please visit the website at www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk