(AD Disclaimer: Berkshire Mummies was gifted tickets to Brooklands Museum in return for an honest review)
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We took a family visit to the Brooklands Museum in Weybridge on one October weekend. We last visited the Brooklands Museum back in 2017, so it was great to be back to see what had changed and to also enjoy a great family day out – we were really impressed with all the museum had to offer.
Our day out at the Brooklands Museum
During our visit to The Brooklands Museum we took part in several activities which are explained in the ‘School Holiday Activities’ and ‘Concorde Experience‘ sections in this blog post. In addition to these activities and experiences we spent the rest of the time exploring the museum. I was really impressed with how much there was to do and we were at the museum from 11am – 4.30pm.
The museum is based in a number of sheds and also outside and it’s packed full of vehicles – aeroplanes, cars, bikes, motorbikes and buses. The buses are housed in the ‘London Bus Museum’ which you can access as part of your visit to The Brooklands Museum – there is an option to make a £2 donation when you leave the London Bus Museum.
Our favourite part of the Museum was exploring the Brooklands Aircraft Factory – it was a very impressive space. The children got to ‘clock-in’ and ‘clock-out’ of the museum and there was a trail with stamps to complete throughout the Aircraft Factory.
There were a number of interactive displays and you could have a go at sanding wood for propellers, see the different types of metals and tools used to build planes plus you could also have a go at making little metal areoplanes, which the children got to take home. This showed the process of metal bending and jointing which is used in the production of aircraft manufacturing.
Upstairs in the Brooklands Aircraft Factory there were a series of interactive screens where you could have a go at desigining virtual aircrafts.
In the Aircraft Factory you could see aircraft from throughout time, which really showed how air travel has developed over the generations. There was also a chance to sit in the cockpits of some of the planes.
We also enjoyed visiting the McLaren: Driven by Design exhibition where you could see two McLaren cars plus one made of building blocks and there was a building block station for the children to have a go at building too.
In the London Bus Museum there was a whole area for the children to play – there was a vehicle table, books, colouring and more. You could also sit on a number of buses in the museum from a modern electric bus to a traditional London double decker. There were also bus rides taking place in the grounds of the Brooklands Museum but sadly we didn’t have time to fit this duing our visit.
Towards the enterance of the museum there were sheds full of cars, bikes and motorbikes which included Formula One cars and a McLaren MP4-21 F1 Show Car Simulator.
Whilst at the museum you can see the Brooklands Racetrack and observe some of its key features including the Paddock Scoreboard plus there are several aircraft which you can go into and have a look inside – one even shows the inside of a cargo plane with a model horse inside! Whilst we were at the museum lots of vintage cars were on the racetrack which was also great to see.
The Brooklands Museum is so full of vehicles from across the ages, its a fantastic musuem to visit, especially if you have children interested in vehicles.The volunteers were also extremely friendly and willing to share their knowledge The Brooklands Membership has been recommended to us on a number of occassions by other parents, so might be of interest if you think you would like to visit the museum reguarly.
School Holiday Activities
The museum run additional events during the school holidays. During our visit we got to have a ‘sneak peak’ and have a go at some of the October Half Term activities. Berkshire Mummies can highly recommended the added activities we did during our visit – they were all great fun for all ages.
We met costume storyteller Hilda ‘Billy’ Hewlett – the storyteller really brought the story of Hilda Hewlett to life and it was a really inspiring story about how women can achieve anything, even if it goes against societies expectations. The storytelling was interactive and engaging for the children. The adults also learnt something too!
We also took part in a family workshop to make a paper areoplane. The areoplanes we made were fun to make, but were also brilliant at flying. As part of the workshop we learnt about the Alpha Alphabet and why it is used and we worked out how to spell our names using the Alpha alphabet.
Click here to read more about the half term activities taking place at the museum this October.
The Concorde Experience
This experience is an extra cost – £3 per person. Included in your Concorde Experience you get a boarding pass and certificate per person.
You start your Concorde Experience on a static bus where you are introduced to the experience and Concorde by your guide who stays with the group for the whole experience. Then you make your way to look under the areoplane and learn about some of the key features on the plane before entering the plane via the luggage compartment.
Once in Concorde you explore the Gallery of Concorde History and watch a short film on the restoration project of the areoplane and how it got to the Brooklands Museum.
Finally, you take your seat in the plane and ‘take-off’ for your virtual Concorde Flight.
The tour is approx 30 minutes long. You can’t take food or drink on the plane, so if you have a little one with you be prepared for them to sit for a little while. We took our youngest on the plane and gave them a snack whilst looking at the underneath of the plane. There isn’t really room for a little one to run around in the plane, so you might want to take this into consideration, but our pre-schooler was fine throughout the experience and our eldest loved it.
To finish the experience you got to have a look at the cockpit and we each recieved a Concord Flying Certificate.
Eating and shopping at the Museum
The museum has the Sunbeam Cafe which we ate at, it does a range of home-cooked food. I went for a tuna mayo jacket potato with cheese and salad and my husband enjoyed the Shepherds Pie. The children each had a ‘pick and mix’ picnic box, which had a selection of options to choose from – sandwiches, drinks, crisps, yoghurt, fruit and more. The quality of the food was very good and portions were generous.
In the cafe you could also get hot and cold drinks, cakes, snacks etc.
There are also benches around the museum site and an outdoor picnic area with games and giant deckchairs.
Parking
There is free parking at the museum. The postcode for the car park is: KT13 0SL
Brooklands Museum is located between Weybridge and Byfleet in Surrey. Just a few minutes from Junction 10 of the M25 and the A3 London-Portsmouth trunk road or half an hour on the train from London Waterloo.
The what3words address is https://what3words.com/drives.skins.gear
Disabled parking is available near the Main Visitor Entrance (KT13 0SL), limited disabled parking is also available on-site through Campbell Gate (KT13 0QN). For more information about disabled parking on the Museum site please call 01932 857381.
Prices
Tickets to enter the museum cost:
Adult: £19.95 (with donation) £18.10 (without donation)
Concession: £18.95 (with donation) £17.20 (without donation)
Children: (5-18) £11 (with donation) £10 (without donation)
Under 5s: Free
Family – 1 Adult and upto 3 children £32.60 (with donation) £29.60 (without donation)
Family – 2 Aduts and upto 3 children £52.50 (with donation) £47.70 (without donation)
Carer – Free
Click here ot buy your tickets.
Prices were correct upon posting on 12.11.2022
Opening Times
Monday – Sunday 10am – 5pm. To ensure visitors get the most out of their experience at the museum, last entry is two hours before closing.
Special Events
Throughout the year Brooklands Museum run a number of special events. Click here to discover what else is happening at the museum.
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Disclaimer
Berkshire Mummies was gifted tickets for this visit in exchange for an honest review. Click here to view the Berkshire Mummies disclaimer.
