Editing National Motor Museum, Beaulieu (section)

== History ==
[[File:Lord Montagu.JPG|thumb|Lord Montagu with one of his classic MGs in March 2007]]
The museum was founded in 1952 by [[Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu]], as a tribute to his father, [[John Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu|John, 2nd Baron Montagu]], who was one of the pioneers of motoring in the United Kingdom, being the first person to drive a motor car into the yard of the [[Palace of Westminster|Houses of Parliament]], and having introduced [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|King Edward VII]] (then the [[Prince of Wales]]) to motoring during the 1890s.

At first, the museum consisted of just five cars and a small collection of [[automobilia]] displayed in the front hall of Lord Montagu's ancestral home, Palace House; but such was the popularity of this small display that the collection soon outgrew its home, and was transferred to wooden sheds in the grounds of the house. The reputation and popularity of the Beaulieu collection continued to grow: during 1959, the museum's "attendance figures" reached 296,909.<ref name=PracticalMotorist196004>{{cite journal|title=News Summary|journal=Practical Motorist|volume=6|issue=68|page=782|date=April 1960}}</ref>

By 1964, annual attendance exceeded the half a million mark and a decision was taken to create a purpose-built museum building in the grounds of the Beaulieu estate.<ref name=Motor196905>{{cite magazine|first=Charles|last=Bulmer|title=Expansion at Beaulieu|magazine=[[The Motor (magazine)|Motor]]|issue=3492|page=64|date=24 May 1969}}</ref> A design committee chaired by the architect Sir [[Hugh Casson]] was created to drive the project, and the architect [[Leonard Manasseh]] was given the contract for the design of the building<ref name=Motor196905/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/leonard-manasseh-ra-100-birthday|title=Architect Leonard Manasseh at age 100 – Blog – Royal Academy of Arts|website=www.royalacademy.org.uk|access-date=25 June 2017}}</ref> which was primarily the work of his partner [[Ian Baker (architect)|Ian Baker]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Timothy|last=Brittain-Caitlin|title=Leonard Manasseh|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|location=London|date=2017-04-15|page=44}}</ref>

By 1972, the collection exceeded 300 exhibits.<ref name=Autocar1972>{{cite journal|editor=Garnier, Peter|title=News: National Motor Museum|journal=[[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]]|volume=136|issue=3967|page=9|date=27 April 1972}}</ref>  In a ceremony performed by the [[Prince Edward, Duke of Kent|Duke of Kent]] the new purpose-built museum building in the parkland surrounding Palace House was opened on 4 July 1972:<ref name=Autocar197207>{{cite journal|editor=Garnier, Peter|title=National Motor Museum Opened at Beaulieu: Realisation of a dream|journal=Autocar|volume=137|issue=3978|pages=36–37|date=13 July 1972}}</ref>  the name was changed to the "National Motor Museum", reflecting a change of status from a private collection to a charitable trust and highlighting Montagu's stated aim to provide Britain with a National Motor Museum "worthy of the great achievements of its motor industry".<ref name=Autocar197207/> The opening of the museum coincided with the UK launch of the [[Jaguar XJ|Jaguar XJ12]] which made it an appropriate week for celebrating the UK motor industry.<ref name=Autocar197207/> The museum is run by the National Motor Museum Trust Ltd, a registered charity.<ref>{{EW charity|1107656|National Motor Museum Trust Ltd}}</ref>
[[File:National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.jpg|alt=The entrance of the National Motor Museum|thumb|The entrance of the National Motor Museum]]
An unusual feature of the new museum building in 1972 is the [[National Motor Museum Monorail]]<ref name=Autocar197207/> passing through its interior. This was inspired by the light railway running through the [[Montreal Biosphère|US Pavilion]] at the [[Montreal]] [[World's Fair]], [[Expo 67]].