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Haynes International Motor Museum’s £4.2 Million Redevelopment Enters Its Final Stages


Haynes Museum New Aerial

Haynes Museum New Aerial

 

4 April, 2013

Haynes International Motor Museum will unveil the first phase of its extensive £4.2 million redevelopment this spring. The redevelopment, which includes new display halls, café, shop and state of the art conferencing and banqueting suites, will provide a completely new façade to the museum, and is due to be fully completed in Spring 2014. The development has been privately funded by founder and Chairman John H Haynes OBE, who opened the museum with just 33 cars, housed in one hall, back in July 1985.

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Phase one, set to open this April, will reveal the first of the new exhibition areas, nicknamed ‘The Black Box’ due to its exterior. The Black Box, a huge two-storey display area, overlooks the Haynes test track and is divided into two areas – The Vroom Room on the ground floor and The Motorcycle Mezzanine on the upper.  

The Vroom Room, spanning over 360 square metres and accommodating around 18 to 20 cars, is dedicated to high powered, high performance cars, while the Motorcycle Mezzanine, at 330 square metres, will create a permanent home for the museum’s two-wheeled collection of around 70 motorbikes which includes the British Motorcycle and the Forshaw Speedway Collection, the World’s largest and most complete Speedway display.  

Prior to the opening of the new exhibition halls, Haynes will reveal a £250,000 new family entertainment zone in the museum’s grounds called Haynes Motorland, featuring a 1,500 square metre adventure playground with a myriad of motoring themed interactive games and miniature vehicles for children to enjoy. There are also two classic buses – one featuring a cinema and the other a soft play area - and a new go-kart circuit known as ‘Haynes Hatch’ with battery operated vehicles.   

The new family zone is just one of the new developments that will see the museum expand beyond the restraints of the internal exhibition halls. Managing Director Marc Haynes explains: “The outdoor family zone is part of a new pedestrian area at the rear of the museum that will, thanks to the help of our wonderful volunteers, allow us to link the exhibits in the display halls with outdoor activities. We are looking to create a visitor experience that appeals to all the senses, which includes bringing some vehicles outdoors so we can fire up the engines allowing visitors to hear and smell the motoring heritage as well as admiring the 400 vehicles on display.”  

As visitors are welcomed into the museum to see phase one, work will continue behind the scenes on completing phase two which includes the remodeling of the other display halls to ensure a more logical and easy to navigate layout and more room for the exhibits to be displayed.  

The existing conference and banqueting suites are all being redesigned as well as a new additional larger suite added, allowing the museum to offer hospitality packages to parties of all sizes, from five to 400 guests.   

A brand new area is being created and landscaped in the grounds as an extension of the new luxurious conference and banqueting suites, making them ideal for civil wedding ceremonies and corporate or motoring club events. This includes a private garden and parking area that can be used for exclusive vehicle displays.  

The final stage of phase two will see an impressive new museum frontage put into place that will mark the start of the visitors’ journey around the venue. With stylish nods to motoring throughout, such as the sweep of the new external façade emulating the aerodynamic profile of a car and the modern yet minimalistic features of the new reception area reflecting a Bentley dashboard, leading to the welcoming new foyer.   

The foyer sets the energetic tone of the redevelopment from the minute the visitor arrives, with a large open plan 60s inspired modern café offering hot and cold food and refreshments while the new gift shop will sell memorabilia as well as a selection of Haynes branded goods, motoring titles and of course the full range of the iconic manuals. The foyer, café and gift shop are more than double the size of the previous areas, giving improved disabled access and more room for movement. These are located off the main entrance to make them more central to access from all areas of the museum.  

Sustainability issues have been high priority, which as well as helping the environment will also help shore up the future financial strength of the museum. A significant investment has been made in the infrastructure of the museum, which has undergone a complete transformation. This will not only help to facilitate future expansion but will also reduce overheads and so in turn help keep running costs of the museum to a minimum. This will ensure the longevity of the museum’s educational work and preservation of the collection.