The Haynes Motor Museum in Sparkford, near Yeovil in Somerset, is set to unveil a major new exhibition telling the story of British motorcycling from its origins to the modern day. “Life on Two Wheels: The British Motorcycling Story” will provide a fascinating new perspective on the social history of the motorbike and the impact bikes have on society, technology and the economy, according to the organisers.
Displays will showcase the role of motorbikes at work and during wartime as well as for pleasure and leisure, examine the changing fortunes of the British motorcycle industry and explore current market trends.
“For the first time ever, this new exhibition will tell the entire story of British motorcycling from its beginnings at the very end of the 19th century to the current day,” said museum curator Dr Luca Hoare. “It will also highlight the central role the motorbike has played in our society over the decades. The exhibition features many of history’s most iconic motorcycles, including a 1930s Brough Superior with sidecar and a 1970s Triumph Bonneville.”
The exhibition opened on 21 October and is part-funded by the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust. It is the first permanent new display at the award-winning Somerset museum for three years. It is also the first to have been undertaken since the museum gained full Arts Council England Accreditation.
Opened in 1985 by John Haynes OBE, the man behind Haynes motor manuals, the museum is home to one of the UK’s biggest exhibition of cars and motorbikes dating from 1900 to the present day. For more information, call 01963 440804 or visit: www.haynesmuseum.org.