Brooklands Museum is a unique destination where aviation, motorsport, and transport history come together. As the birthplace of British motorsport and aviation, the museum offers a fascinating mix of planes, classic cars, and buses that span decades of innovation. From exploring vintage aircraft and walking through the London Bus Museum to testing your endurance on the historic Test Hill, Brooklands provides a hands-on experience for anyone passionate about the evolution of transport. It’s a perfect spot for both history buffs and motor enthusiasts alike.
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A Brief History of Motor Racing at Brooklands
The historic Brooklands in Weybridge, South East England is teeming with more history than I had been aware. I have always associated Brooklands with motor racing, when back in 1907 Brooklands became the worlds first purpose built concrete race track, which with its daring 30 degree banking, covered a distance of 2.75 miles. The venue became popular for motor car and motor cycle racing, but was suspended during World War I, recommencing again in the 1920s. With the outbreak of World War II, the track was requisitioned by the government and the final race ever to be held at Brooklands Race Track was on the 7th August 1939.
3 decades of Motor Racing took place at Brooklands
A Brief History of Aviation at Brooklands
As well as the world renowned race track, Brooklands boasts a rich industrial aviation history. In 1915, Brooklands became the home to the aircraft manufacturer Vickers and during World War I, women built the Gunbus and the Vimy. After the government requisitioned Brooklands in 1939, the site was using to build and test fly the Wellington and Hurricane Bombers. Over 5700 military aircraft, a fifth of all aircraft of this type, were manufactured during World War Two at this site.
Current Day
The race track sustained substantial damage by German bombers during World War 2 and sadly the damage was deemed too great and too costly to repair. To this day, there is still a small section of the track in existence, but most of the area has now been redeveloped into industrial warehouses or housing communities.
Remains of the original race track
The Museum
Brooklands Museum has exhibitions spanning over 100 years of motoring and aviation.
Visit the Aircraft Park to see a range of planes including the Vickers VC10 ‘Sultan of Oman’ and Concorde. The Sultan of Oman’s VC10 is a truly luxurious mode of air travel but I have always been awe struck with Concorde and I was very sorry to see it go out of commission in October 2003.
The outside of the Sultan of Oman’s Vickers VC10
The living area inside the Vickers VC10
The Concorde Experience
I recommend taking the Concorde experience. Half the plane is kitted out with an exhibition which tells the story of Concorde and the other half is setup to reflect the inside of the Concorde cabin. Sit in a real Concorde seat and watch the simulation video of a trip to New York is as close as I will ever get to flying in Concorde!
Inside Concordes cabin
After the video and leaving Concorde, be sure to check out the Concorde simulator which was used by training pilots. This is a fully functioning simulator which is super cool to watch as it shows the manoeuvres and procedures which are required to fly this amazing machine.
A Great Day Out
If you’re a fan of planes, buses (though unfortunately no trains), and automobiles, I highly recommend this as a fantastic day out if you’re ever in the area. For bus enthusiasts or those with fond memories of London’s past, the Bus Museum is filled with vehicles ranging from pre-war models to modern times.
You can also challenge yourself to walk up Test Hill, which was built in 1909 to test a car’s ability to climb steep inclines and the effectiveness of its brakes. At 252 feet long and with a gradient as steep as 1 in 4, it’s not as easy to walk as it sounds!
Overall, Brooklands offers a great mix of history and hands-on experiences for transport enthusiasts.
