ONE OF Hampshire's top attractions has marked its 50th anniversary by unveiling plans to give the site a major revamp costing at least £15m.

The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu intends to implement a raft of improvements in a bid to reach a larger and more diverse audience.

The award-winning museum needs to raise between £15m and £20m over the next seven years to achieve its aims.

It can trace its origins back to 1952, when the previous Lord Montagu displayed five classic cars in the entrance hall of his ancestral home, Palace House.

Daily Echo: More than 20 million people have visited the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu since it opened in 1972More than 20 million people have visited the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu since it opened in 1972 (Image: Chris Yandell, Newsquest)

Jon Murden, the new director of the National Motor Museum Trust, said: "Motoring is changing rapidly and so are the expectations of our visitors.

"We cannot rest on our laurels – that would be a great disservice to the legacy of Edward, Lord Montagu in creating the museum."

The proposed improvements could lead to an increase in the number of items on show to the public.

Dr Murden said: “We must seek to collect the vehicles, the auto-memorabilia, and all the other objects that reflect and tell the ever-changing experience of motoring."

Work is due to start next year with a £600,000 scheme to refurbish parts of the museum.

Daily Echo: More than 20 million people have visited the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu since it opened in 1972More than 20 million people have visited the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu since it opened in 1972 (Image: Newsquest)

The current Lord Montagu, whose father died in 2015, said visitor numbers were down on the post-lockdown boom of 2021 but noticeably up on 2019.

Hailing 2022 as a "return to normal" he said: "For the first time in three years, we were able to hold a full event programme including the Supercar Weekend, 16 Simply rallies and both Autojumbles."

The exhibition hall dates from 1972, when it replaced the much smaller Montagu Motor Museum.

A total of 640, 501 people visited the new attraction in its first year, compared with the 70,000 who went to Beaulieu two decades earlier.

Daily Echo: Exhibits include a child-sized caravan used by King Charles and the Princess Royal when they were youngExhibits include a child-sized caravan used by King Charles and the Princess Royal when they were young (Image: Chris Yandell, Newsquest)

Lord Montagu said the opening of the National Motor Museum was one of his father’s proudest moments and the culmination of more than 20 years' work.

He added: “Half a century later the charity he established, the National Motor Museum Trust, continues his legacy.

“The museum has received over 21 million visitors since 1972, houses 275 vehicles and, with its libraries and archives, is one of the most significant motoring collections in the UK.”

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