Where to next for the National Motor Museum?

Many members will no doubt be aware of the shock news that broke in the past week concerning the future of the National Motor Museum (NMM) at Beaulieu. As the week has gone on the situation has become more confusing and controversial.

The Guild has a very strong connection with the museum, which was founded in 1952 by Lord Edward Montagu, who was a Guild member. For many years the Guild has had its own display in the museum with some of our historic trophies on show.

The saga began on Monday 10th August with the issuing of a statement by the National Motor Museum Trust, which is responsible for the heritage collections displayed in the museum at Beaulieu. The statement (which can be downloaded and read in full here), revealed that on the expiry of the museum’s 60-year lease with the Beaulieu estate, understood to be in 2032, it would not be renewed and the National Motor Museum had begun a search for a new home.

According to the Trust, two years of discussions with Beaulieu Enterprises, with a view to securing the future of the museum and expanding and reinvigorating it, had failed to produce an agreement and it had been concluded that the best way forward was for the NMM to seek a new home.

However, two days later Beaulieu Enterprises issued what it described as a “clarification”, insisting that motoring remained a very important part of the estate’s attractions and it was intended to continue to operate a motoring museum in the future. “A significant amount of vehicles in the museum are either on loan or owned by the Montagu family and will continue to stay here,” the statement added, raising fears that the current collection could be split up. The Beaulieu statement can be read here.

Further intrigue was added just a day later when in an exclusive story for Autocar, Guild member Tristan Young quoted a “well-placed source” who alleged the situation was far more complex, centring on a funding row.

According to the source, while the museum generates three-quarters of the visitor numbers to Beaulieu, the Museum Trust only receives a very small portion of the entry fee that also gives access to Palace House, its gardens and Beaulieu Abbey. As a result, long-held plans to modernise the museum with National Lottery Heritage Fund investment remain unviable without it moving to a new location.

Further reporting on the situation, the Museums Association stated that the Trust failed in a recent bid for National Lottery funding, being told that the charity – under which the museum operates – was too closely linked to Beaulieu Enterprises.

The Autocar source also disputed the assertion by Beaulieu Enterprises as to the vehicles it owns, stating that these are just 29 of the more than 250 exhibits. It was also asserted that the relationship between the two organisations had broken down to a degree that the move of the museum could take place significantly earlier than the currently stated 2030.     

News Briefs also understands that the museum’s separate collections centre is under a lease with another 10 years left to run, and the Museum Trust intends to see the lease out. This is obviously a confusing situation – News Briefs will keep across future developments and report them to members.