Brookland Museum

Brookland Museum, Surrey, is located on the remains of the long-disused Brooklands Racecourse. Several buildings and halls at the museum belonged to the facility. The track surface was laid in 1907 and in the 1920s no one could beat the big Bentleys that roared around the heavily dosed curves. Today, only a small remnant of the outer race remains.

Travel tips. One of England's first racetracks was built here in 1907, the first runway for airplanes in 1908, the first flying machine built in 1909 - the last in the 1980s. Later, smaller car manufacturers appeared. Today, everything is history.

When the Bentleys ruled

Brooklands Museum, Surrey, is on the remains of the long-disused Brooklands Racecourse. Several buildings and halls at the museum belonged to the facility. The track surface was laid in 1907 and in the 1920s no one could beat the big Bentleys that roared around the heavily dosed curves. Today, only a small remnant of the outer race remains. It was the highest point of the track, called The Member's Banking. The concrete is now partially covered with moss. Last Sunday it was arranged Summer Classic Gathering and Auto Jumble for members and visitors. Inside among the old passenger planes were the most prestigious cars – Bentley and Rolls Royce. The company Vickers owned Bentley before it was sold to Volkswagen. One of Bentley's models is actually called Brooklands.

The Vickers VC10 was manufactured here at Weybridge, UK.

Bentley Continental S1 Flying Spur in front of the nose of a Vickers VC10 aircraft.

Aircraft production

Vickers is better known as an aircraft manufacturer. Vickers-Armstrong assembled airliners in Weybridge – just off Brooklands. VC10 is one of my favorites. It is a long and narrow four-engine aircraft about the size of the Boeing 707 and DC-8. The placement of the four engines is very special – two on each side, at the rear of the fuselage. The aircraft that is displayed in the museum grounds is actually assembled here in Weybridge. The VC10 aircraft is open to the public. The lights in the instruments and the voice of air traffic controllers at Heathrow create a very special atmosphere. It's not live - only an audio tape, although Heathrow is not far away. The interior of the plane is unfortunately a composition of "bad taste" after having served as a private plane for the Sultan of Oman.

Not my cup of tea.

While we're on the subject of airplanes, the Concord plane from British Airways is a big crowd favorite. Here, the queues to get in are often long. The engineers at Weybridge played an important role during the development of the aircraft type. Also worth mentioning is a BAC 1-11 (One-Eleven) which was built after Vickers-Armstrong was merged with other aircraft manufacturers into British Aerospace. The aircraft is similar to the DC-9, but slightly smaller. The BAC 1-11 was a workhorse for short distances, although not so common in Scandinavia. One aircraft is said to have been leased to SAS and some machines were chartered, among other things for the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Lineup of Rolls Royce and Bentley at the Concorde.

For the rich

In the 1920s, racing cars were a rich man's sport. The racing car drivers often owned the cars themselves, and often also a plane. Brooklands got its own runway in 1908, where now only a remaining part is protected. Some of the aircraft on display made their final landing there.

The combination of airplanes and cars has fascinated many from early times, and advertising posters often show stately cars parked in front of an airplane. On Sunday, the finest cars were lined up at the Concord. Imagine being transported in a Rolls Royce to a waiting Concord flight heading across the Atlantic! I also liked the stylish Ford Zodiac parked by the flight stairs of VC10. They formed a nice 60s time frame.

Perhaps one of the old engineers from Vickers-Armstrong stopped by? 🙂

The Member's Banking is located in the outer loop. Picture today and from the 1920s inset.

Chevrolet Impala and Range Rover with the old track tire in the background.

How to get there

I have been here several times and recommend trains from Vauxhall station, London to Weybridge station - possibly with a change at Wimbledon. Follow the road up to the main road system and keep right until you have passed the railway bridge. Then turn right across a car park and continue on the footpath that runs parallel to the train tracks - with the train on your right. Follow the road system in the same direction (about 10 minutes) all the way to the first bridge where you can turn right over the railway. 50 meters after passing the bridge, take a footpath down to the left through the forest. Follow the road until you have passed the river. Then take the first walkway on the left under the railway. The road is signposted. The trip takes 15-20 minutes and is shorter and more pleasant than other roads the map systems might recommend.

Also worth a visit

Brooklands Museum also contains a bus museum. Admission £22 for adults and £8 extra to see the Concord from inside. I recommend combining the visit with special events advertised on brooklandsmuseum.com

Mercedes Benz World is right next to the museum. They have a nice display of historic and new models. Free entry. Kid friendly. Simple and good cafeteria with plenty of seating. mercedes-benzworld.co.uk

See

If you are more than moderately interested in Mercedes-Benz, British racing cars from the interwar period or British passenger planes, I recommend a trip to the disused Brooklands railway in Surrey, south-east of London.

Mercedes-Benz World is packed with automotive history. The first petrol-powered car was a Benz, and the brand has been a trendsetter for the car industry for over 130 years. It is very nice to see. The greatest emphasis is placed on newer models. The entire model program can be studied, including Smart and models that are not imported to Norway. Unfortunately, the new X-Class was conspicuous by its absence. Probably, the production of right-hand drive cars has not started yet.

At Mercedes-Benz World, you can open doors and take a closer look at the great S-Class and AMG offerings without salesmen breathing down your neck. Should you wonder about anything, you can find most of it on the fact sheet, or ask supervisors who are nearby. Mercedes-Benz World is open every day and is free for everyone - and well suited for children.

Smooth driving and track driving

The greatest experience for many is probably the opportunity to drive on a track. You can take almost any model out on smooth and dry tracks. These are great team-building activities, also among Norwegians. It sounds really good on the plain when four AMG models frolic on the track.

Speaking of slick driving, the country roads also offered slick driving after the whole of Great Britain had been hit by -5 degrees and a blizzard the day before. At Brooklands I had the experience of seeing four drivers as actually could drive smoothly. Everyone else who tried out on the track clearly had very little experience with Nordic driving conditions.

Brooklands Museum

Brooklands Museum is right next to Mercedes-Benz World. The two experience sites are aimed at the same type of audience. The remains of the old racing track are still standing, but you will never get to experience the roars of the legendary racing cars of the 30s there. They stand indoors in the museum hall.

It is also worth mentioning the aircraft exhibition at the museum. It is fantastic. The Concorde was not open to the public that day, but I got a good look at the Sultan of Oman's former private jet, a Vickers VC10, – a converted airliner with twin Rolls-Royce engines mounted in the rear of the fuselage. This aircraft is now placed back in almost the same place it was built in 1964. Certainly 14 people must have been engaged in the construction and maintenance of aircraft here. Now, no one, apart from museum staff with roots, enthusiasm and pride in the former British aviation industry - and who happily share detailed knowledge with other aircraft geeks, such as myself - prefers cockpits built with analogue instruments.

Pictures from Mercedes-Benz World.

From Brooklands Museum, with the airfield in the background.

Mercedes-benz enthusiast used cars on display at the track.

This beautiful sight greets you when you go up to the second floor.

The Mercedes-Benz S 500 Cabrio brings thoughts back to the happy 80s, when most people had loose money.

Facts

Mercedes-Benz World:
https://www.mercedes-benz.co.uk/

Brooklands Museum:
https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/

How to get there:

By train:
South Western Railway from Waterloo station, London to Weybridge, Surrey. Travel time 30-40 minutes.
From Weybridge you can walk on the marked "foot path" (1 km). Go up to the roundabout by the main road. Keep to the right without crossing the road. Walk parallel to the railway, first along a parking space, then on the marked path. The path crosses the railway at one point. Continue along the railway until you cross the river, then turn left under the railway bridge and you will see the museum grounds. You can also take a taxi from the station. There is a taxi rank at the station.

By car/taxi from Heathrow:
Take the M25 south. Turn off at the A320 towards Woking and Chertsey. After leaving the M25, the road will be signposted all the way to Brooklands. Distance from Heathrow is approx. 20 km.

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