Cotswold Motoring Museum

About

The Cotswold Motoring Museum & Toy Collection was acquired by CSMA Club in 1999 after the original owner retired. We are proud to take on and care for this exciting collection which is literally bursting with interesting motoring memorabilia that reflects the motoring history of CSMA Club itself. Amongst the many items that are on display are old garage equipment, enamel signs, branded hat pins, an AA Box, petrol pumps and the show-stoppers. These include bicycles, motorcycles, caravans, the over 40 cars and, of course, Children’s TV favourite Brum.

Family Fun

There is so much to do at the Cotswold Motoring Museum, and the whole family will have fun completing the quizzes, guessing what is inside the feely boxes and encountering toys of yesteryear. The star no doubt however is Brum. He is at the Museum every day, where his journey starts and ends. Visitors can have fun riding him, have a photo taken and young motoring enthusiasts will enjoy doing their very own Brum brass rubbing.

Collections

Current Exhibition

James Hunt Exhibition at the Cotswold Motoring Museum

With the roar of the current Formula 1 engines still ringing in our ears and the likes of Button, Hamilton and Schumacher filling the sports pages, the Cotswold Motoring Museum invites you to look back to 1979 and the British racing legend James Hunt.

The Museum is exhibiting the impressive Wolf WR7 Formula 1 Car (1979-1982), the last car ever driven by James Hunt at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The James Hunt exhibition is open from 2nd April to mid December 2010. As well as the Wolf WR7, the exhibition will also contain information about the car’s background and comments from the current owner: CSMA Club member, Andrew Smith.

Motor Collection

With over 30 cars on display, the museum’s car collection is truly unique. The oldest car on display dates from the early1900s to the latest addition, a Mini Clubman from 1972. From sleek Jaguars, quirky Austins to sporty, open topped MGs the collection will transport you back to a time when driving was a hobby not a necessity.

As well as cars the Museum has a collection of motorcycles and scooters from as early as 1909 to the more recent year of 1978.Our collection of caravans from the 1920s and 1970s will highlight how holidaying in the present day is a far cry from years gone by.

Toy collection

We have a huge collection of toys from the past that are sure to evoke memories for you and amaze your children on how their parents and grandparents used to have fun at home. There are Jigsaws, board games and many boys and girls annuals on show as well as windmills cars and cranes made from Meccano. Other toys on display include scalectrix sets, sledges, roller skates and a skittle-set. There is a huge selection of pedal cars, bicycles, push-along wooden and metal vehicles, toy boats and aeroplanes, all with their own story to tell.

You can reminisce and your children will be fascinated by how things used to be!

Museum History

The Cotswold Motoring Museum first opened in Bourton on the Water in1978. It was founded by Mike Cavanagh who had recently returned to England from South Africa where he worked as a print manager.

Mr Cavanagh had been collecting motoring items since 1959, when he bought a 1929 Brooklands Riley for £30. Collecting almost became an obsession, with items purchased from around the world and then transported back to South Africa. This included a 1935 Austin Taxi which he bought while in England and then had it shipped back home. The first enamel sign, advertising Pegasus Motor Spirit, was found tied to a gate in the Eastern Cape. It now accompanies more than 800 signs on display at the Museum.

When Mr Cavanagh retired in 1999 he sold the Museum to CSMA Club. Since then the Museum has continued to develop. This building dates back to the 18th Century and was once a Mill with a water-wheel driven by the passing River Windrush. The Mill was later powered by steam, and then diesel, before ceasing operations altogether in 1949. The building was then used as a store and retail outlet for a farmers' cooperative before closing down completely in the early 1970s.

CSMA Club has made much effort to improve the standards of collections care, access, interpretation and education. And the collection is still growing. Since 1999 CSMA Club have continued to acquire cars, motorcycles and bicycles as well as adding to the memorabilia collection.

Learning

The Museum has a substantial school programme offering workshops which include:

Early Years

• Changes – past and present
• Sounds and safety

Key Stage One

• Sea-side holidays
• How have toys changed?
• Transport
  • General transport history and timeline focus
  • Motoring history – Early Garages DVD and meet the real 'Jack Lake'

Key Stage Two

• Britain since the 1930s
• Journeys – using signs and symbols
• Transport
  • General transport history and timeline focus
  • Motoring history – Early Garages DVD and meet the real 'Jack Lake'
• New Workshop for Keystage Two! – Exploring a locality (Bourton-on-the-Water) using maps, photographs and GPS systems

Prices

All the above workshops cost £3.00 per child - all resources are provided.

Accompanying adults are free!

The workshops are a great introduction to a subject or for delving further into History or Geography topics. The workshops get children involved in a subject using objects. They may be noisy but really help children to learn in a fun environment!

All of our workshops can be adapted for various groups with special education needs and are designed to be very flexible and we can focus on any area you are studying in school.

Experience Boxes

We also have boxes of objects for you to take away and explore in the classroom.

The boxes are as follows:

• World War Two
• Sensory stories based on journeys for the very young or special needs
• Toys

The rental cost is £30 per half term.

If you would like to discuss your group's particular needs, please contact Nicola at enquiries@cotswoldmotormuseum.co.uk.

Gallery

• 

  Children's Area

  

  Fantastic Car Collection

• 

  Educational Areas

  

  Motoring Memorabilia

• 

  Old Fashioned Toys

  

  Brum

• 

  Classic Vehicles

  

  Educational Tours

• 

  Sign Collections

  

  The Museum and Cottages

• 

  The Shop

  

  Unique Exhibitions

More Information & Shop

CSMA Club members benefit from 10% discount on admission prices

Opening times

We are open 10am-6pm seven days a week from February half-term to the first Sunday in December.

The museum will be closed from the 14th December 2010 reopening on the 14th February 2011.

Museum Shop

A visit to the museum is not complete without a browse around the shop.

You will find all manner of gifts and motoring memorabilia. We have models and toys for little (and not so little) kids, featuring Vanguard, Maisto and Cararama. If a momento of your visit is what your looking for, there is an extensive range of magnets, mugs and tea-towels plus postcards and pictures exclusive to the museum.

Evening Private View Parties

Enjoy these amazing objects at your own pace on a summer evening… Private views of the museum can be arranged with discussion. Group visits start at 6.30pm, but times may be adapted. Contact us to discuss your personal requirements for that extra special visit.

Where can I eat?

There are plenty of quaint cafes, delicious restaurants and fish & chip shops within a few steps from the museum. In the summer, why not make the most of your beautiful surroundings, bring along a picnic and sit by the river.