The world famous National Motor Museum is delightfully situated in the grounds of the Beaulieu Estate; ancestral home to the Montagu family since 1538. The museum contains a priceless collection of over 250 historic vehicles. There are vehicles from every motoring era, from the earliest examples of motoring to family cars of the 30s and 40s and modern classics of the 70s and 80s.
New for 2008 is ‘The Art of Custom’, a striking and innovative display featuring bikes and cars that have taken a creative journey from ordinary to extraordinary, to produce unique one-off concept designs.
In 2008, ‘Bond at Beaulieu’ is celebrating the centenary year of the birth of Bond creator, Ian Fleming. You can see several new exhibits including the Aston Martin Volante from ‘The Living Daylights’, and the Ford driven by Daniel Craig in his first incarnation as Bond in ‘Casino Royale’.
In addition to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, visitors can also enjoy Palace House and talks from costumed guides on aspects of life in a Victorian country house, including ‘The trials and tribulations of a Victorian maid’, ‘The valet and his working day’ and ‘The butler’s in charge’.
Gardens include the fragrant Victorian Flower Garden, the informal Wilderness Garden, dating back to the 1770s and the Ornamental Kitchen Garden laid out on the site of the original Palace House kitchen garden.
The Secret Army Exhibition tells the story of wartime Beaulieu and the training school established for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII, for agents sent to work with the Resistance in occupied Europe.
The Abbey Domus houses an enthralling exhibition about mediaeval monastic life at Beaulieu, exquisite embroidered wall hangings and an audio-visual presentation depicting the Abbey's history.
Open daily from 10am. Exit 2 M27.
