The National Motor Museum is set to leave its famous home at Beaulieu after almost six decades, with trustees announcing a search for a “transformational” new location. The National Motor Museum Trust confirmed on Tuesday that it has begun the process of identifying a new home for the museum as its current lease at Beaulieu approaches the end of its 60-year term. The announcement represents a major change for one of Britain’s best-known motoring museums and a collection that has become synonymous with Beaulieu and the New Forest.
Museum to leave Beaulieu
The Trust said the decision forms part of its long-term strategy to secure the future of the National Motor Museum and “reimagine and reinvigorate” the attraction for future generations. Plans include engaging with new generations of motoring enthusiasts, making the collection more accessible and significantly expanding the museum’s educational and community work. The Trust also has ambitions to establish a training centre for heritage engineering apprenticeships.
Trust and Montagu family explored keeping museum at Beaulieu
The decision to seek a new home follows two years of discussions between the National Motor Museum Trust and the Montagu family. Options explored included major donor investment and the potential redevelopment of the museum at Beaulieu. However, the Trust said it had concluded that its future ambitions, together with its charitable purpose as the national repository of British motoring heritage, could best be achieved through a move to a new home.
‘Once in a generation opportunity’
Robert MacGregor, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Motor Museum Trust, said:
“We are sad that the National Motor Museum will be leaving Beaulieu but are at the same time very excited about this once in a generation opportunity to transform the Museum for the future.”
He thanked the Montagu family for founding the Trust in 1970 and for continuing to support the museum as it begins the search for its next home. MacGregor added:
“A new home can refresh our whole approach, enable us to make the collection more accessible, expand our educational and community impact, and ensure Britain’s motoring story remains relevant.”
Where will the National Motor Museum move?
No new location has yet been announced. The Trust has now formally begun the process of identifying a suitable new home capable of accommodating its collection and delivering its future ambitions. The move is intended to allow the museum to better fulfil its national role while finding new ways of sharing Britain’s motoring heritage with a wider audience. The National Motor Museum’s departure will mark the end of a remarkable chapter at Beaulieu, where generations of visitors have viewed vehicles documenting the history and development of motoring in Britain. Further details about potential locations and the timetable for the move are expected as the search progresses. This is a developing story and will be updated when further information becomes available.
