Motor museum attracts £1.45m lottery grant for new historic vehicle centre
VISITORS to the Heritage Motor Museum at Gaydon will soon be able to view more of the venue’s historic collection after trusts associated with the museum were awarded lottery cash.
The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust, which is based at the museum, has been awarded £1.45m in the second round of the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The funding is the result of more than two years work to develop plans for a new building in which to store and display more than 200 historic British cars. The vehicles are part of the collections of both the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and its partner the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.
The £4m project received initial support from the HLF in 2011, and the latest grant, together with match funding from Jaguar Land Rover, The Garfield Weston Foundation and both trusts, will enable work on the project to begin this spring.
The new centre will house cars from the reserve collections of both trusts and many will be on display to the public for the first time. The centre will also include a vehicle restoration and conservation workshop and space for education programmes.
One aspect of the scheme which attracted support for the HLF was the plan to engage more people locally and regionally in the museum’s outreach and learning programmes.
Tim Bryan, Head of Collections & Interpretation at the Heritage Motor Centre said: “We are delighted that, with the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Jaguar Land Rover and our other partners, this exciting project will become a reality. It will allow us to make our collections far more accessible and will enable people to learn more about the motor industry, which has played such an important role in the West Midlands.”
Reyahn King, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for the West Midlands added: “We are delighted to support this project that not only provides a new and improved display and storage venue for these historic cars, but also creates opportunities for more people to learn about their conservation.”
