There’s nothing like Beaulieu for a fun-packed summer with incredible creations in a brand new customised car art exhibition in the National Motor Museum, magnificent birds of prey with Lord Montagu’s first falconer in 300 years at Beaulieu Abbey Cloister and a two-day celebration of powerful dream machines at Beaulieu Supercar Weekend.
For the full summer line-up, see our exciting Top Ten:
Brand new exhibition: The Art of Kustom
A Citroen that looks like a spaceship, road-going speedboat, shortened Mini Ha Ha and speed-breaking Reliant Rialto raced on the Bonneville Salt Flats will be stars of the show in The Art of Kustom summer exhibition. Featuring cars from the imagination of customiser Andy Saunders, the National Motor Museum will display his most famous creations gathered from private collections across Europe. Andy will unveil his latest project Metropolis – transformed from a rusty wreck into an art deco-style stunner – at Father’s Day’s Hot Rod & Custom Drive-In Day on Sunday June 17th and the exhibition will run throughout the summer until September.
Colour the Muscle Mustang ‘Art car’
Andy Saunders is described as an artist who uses cars as his canvas – and Beaulieu is offering visitors the chance to get creative by colouring a real-life Ford Mustang ‘Art car’. Use our felt-tip pens to customise the muscle car, creating your eye-catching masterpiece with designs of your choice. Can you come up with a colour scheme fit for this legendary American car parked up on our Events Arena?
First falconer and Abbot’s Mews
See magnificent birds of prey in flight and visit Abbot’s Mews, a new exhibition marking Beaulieu’s rich falconry history. The story of falconry at Beaulieu can be traced as far back as the 11th century and Paul Manning is believed to be the first falconer endorsed by the Montagu family for over 300 years. Learn more about the kings, queens and nobleman who practiced falconry and the falconer’s skills – which haven’t changed for 700 years!
Creative fun in the National Motor Museum
Commemorate 100 years of Votes for Women at Creative Fun sessions in the National Motor Museum. Supported by the Shell Heritage Art Collection and the Caravan and Motorhome Club, families can take part in these fun summer drop-in sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from July 31st to August 23rd, from 11am – 3pm. Be inspired by our collections and discover how the use of cars and caravans became central to spreading the message of the Suffrage campaign, then enter your creation in a competition. For details click here.
Bringing the past to life
Take a step back in time as Living history characters bring Beaulieu to life with the sights and sounds of the past. Join Lord Montagu’s cook in the recently restored Victorian Kitchen at Palace House, listen to the pianist perform at the grand piano, then step outside to take part in traditional games on the lawns and see the penny farthing and historic motors in action around the grounds. Or dress up as a monk and walk in their footsteps at 13th century Beaulieu Abbey. Living history will run at Beaulieu from July 21st – August 31st.
Supercar Weekend celebration
Beaulieu Supercar Weekend will be rumbling with the roar of powerful supercars, as over 750 of these dream machines go on show for a two-day motoring spectacular in the grounds of the National Motor Museum on August 4th and 5th. Sponsored by insurance specialists A-Plan and packed with awesome cars and special features, this unmissable supercar celebration includes action-packed demonstration runs, showcases of the best new cars money can buy and classic performance cars, the Super SUV Secret Garden and Supercar Sound-off, pitching the sportiest supercars against each other. Click here for details.
Rolls-Royces in: The Luxury of Motoring
See a brand new Rolls-Royce Dawn Black Badge in a display of some of the most luxurious cars ever built in The Luxury of Motoring. A stunning collection of 28 Lalique glass car mascots is also on show for the first time as the glittering centrepiece in this new-for-2018 gallery. The National Motor Museum display spans the golden age of luxury motoring and tells the stories of car design, the people who owned them and chauffeurs who drove them. Perceptions of taste and class are explored through a range of fascinating objects, films and rarely seen images from the National Motor Museum Trust’s archives.
Sprite joins woodland tree carvings
Spot the new tree carving of a sprite in his woodland tree home on the Mill Pond Walk beside the picturesque Beaulieu River. He will join a collection of mythical creature tree carvings, including a giant Green Man, many-headed serpent and tree-top griffin, the mythical creature which supports the Montagu family coat of arms. Enter the realms of magic and find fairy doors in trees along the pathway. . . and imagine what magical creatures might be living behind each of the miniature door creations.
Jump on board the playbus
Let off steam in our new wooden replica playbus, with a fun slide from its top deck for children to enjoy. Beaulieu’s full-size Veteran Bus – the replica of a 1912 London double-decker bus – is a familiar sight as it carries visitors around the attraction. For our playground version, Hand Made Places took eight weeks to design and build this new feature which takes pride of place alongside swings and a climbing frame in the Mini Motor Play Area.
And if there’s too much to see . . . then return again for free!
Visitors to Beaulieu are welcome to make a return visit for free within six days of their initial visit. There is so much to see and do and all summer activities are included in a general admission ticket to Beaulieu which includes entry to the National Motor Museum and its collection of more than 250 vehicles, the World of Top Gear, On Screen Cars, Beaulieu Abbey, Palace House and the picturesque grounds and gardens.
For advance online tickets click here. For events details and ticket prices click here.