The Midland Motor Museum

On May 29th another museum was opened. This is the Midland Motor Museum at Measham, of which Lord Montagu is Chairman and which is owned by a company formed by David Wickens, Chairman of Measham Motor Sales. The Museum is housed in a fine new building, able to accommodate 80 vehicles and with natural lighting front glass panels in the roof. High doors enable commercial vehicles to be driven in, and the walls are flanked by stands donated by firms such as Castrol, Dunlop, Girling, Lucas, Terry, Johnson’s Polish and others to show the development of components down the years. Lord Montagu has also provided some very jolly and historic old posters, brought from Paris, to decorate the walls. There is a souvenir shop, free car parks, car-wash and restaurant, and eventually, we gather, a skid-pan and kart-track, etc., will be added. The vehicles are less exciting than those at Beaulieu, for there is only one racing car, the Napier-Railton, and that won’t be there when its owner is racing it at Silverstone or Oulton Park, nor are motorcycles represented, as they are so well at Beaulieu. From the South the journey up M 1 is easy, but thereafter, avoid lorry-infested A 5! The Museum is open every day from 10.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., or from 10a.m. to 5 p.m. after October, adult admission costing 3s., children 1s. 6d.

The exhibits are: Lord Montagu’s 15/85 1929 Alfa Romeo; the Hon. Gerald Lascelles’ Aston Martin DB2; de Freyne’s smart 1928 A.C. Six; Lisle’s Austin Ulster; Wyatt’s 1935 Austin 16; the EX-179 M.G. record-car loaned by the M.G. Car Co.; a 1939 A.E.C.. Renown; Watts’ 1922 3-litre Bentley; a 1911 Briton; Reeves’ 1899 Benz Ideal; a Castle Three tricar; a tatty 1937 Cord 812 lent by James Leasor: a Crossley 19.6; the Daimler Bass Bottle; a 1913 10/12 D.F.P.; Daimler’s very fine 1911 4-cylinder 12-h.p. and 4-litre Coupés; Daimler’s 1913 30-h.p. saloon; a Dennis fire-engine; a rare 1898 Decauville; a 1901 Durkopp; Cooper’s 1931 model-AF Ford; Dr. Harris’ Fraser Nash; a 1925 model-T Ford Walls’ ice-cream van; Pybus-Patterson’s 1923 11.4 Humber; Bone’s big 1939 Horch; Steadman’s 1899 Benz; Hutton-Stott’s 1919 Lanchester 40; a 14/46 La Buire tourer complete except for badge and filler cap; Collings’ luridly-painted 11.9 Lagonda; Lt. Comdr. Bush’s V12 Lagonda; a Leyland lorry; Murrell’s 1926 Locomobile Junior 8; a Mk. 3 Lotus; a 14/28 M.G. Sport; Newman’s tatty Morris-Cowley; the first Morris Minor MM; Wheatcroft’s 38/250 Mercedes-Benz; B.M.C.’s Morris Commercial; the Napier-Railton; a 1913 Colonial Napier; a remarkable 1910 Phanmobile; a Rhode; a 1904 Raleigh; a rough Raleigh Safety Seven; a very nice Renault Monasix coupé that has run only 22,000 miles; a 2-cylinder Edwardian Renault; a 1929 Rolls-Royce 20; Gosnell’s Sima-Violet cyclecar; Taylor’s S.S.I; a 1908 Thorneycroft T.T. 5.2-litre chassis, very impressive, but sans tyres; Lord Montagu’s “Prince Henry” Vauxhall; a 1904 3-cylinder Vauxhall; a 20/60 Vauxhall Hurlingham sports; and a nice 1913 16/20 Wolseley landaulette. They are all described in a fine combined Beaulieu/Brighton/Measham catalogue, price 2s. 6d.—W. B.