Enjoy the style of 1952 as museum marks start of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

A selection of exhibits from 1952 - the year of HRH Queen Elizabeth II's acsension to the throne

There’ll be a distinct 1950s feel at the museum this weekend (Feb 5-6) to mark the formal start of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

On the 6th of February Her Majesty will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a 70-year reign – having formally acceded to the throne on the 6th of February 1952.

To mark the occasion, we've gathered together a collection of vehicles which graced the roads back in 1952 when Her Majesty was just 25 years old.

We're also offering free entry over this weekend to anyone celebrating their 70th birthday this year.*

A close up of the 1950 Brookhouse Corgi scooter

Items on display include a 1952 Norton Model 7 Dominator motorcycle and a 1952 Citroen Light 15 car. There’s also an aptly named 1950 Brockhouse Corgi Scooter – a nice reminder of Her Majesty’s much loved four-legged companions – her beloved Corgi dogs

The Corgi was a civilian version of a collapsible runabout made for paratrooper use during World War II. The scooter sold reasonably but it was soon overtaken by more stylish looking scooters from Italy and Germany.

There’ll also be a reminder on show of The Queen’s coronation the following year – in the shape of an unrestored 1953 Austin Somerset – painted in the colour Sandringham Fawn. Austin patriotically changed its colour schemes that year to help celebrate the coronation and also had models in Balmoral Blue, Windsor Grey, Coronet Cream and Buckingham Green

1953 Austin Somerset – painted in the colour Sandringham Fawn

The Austin Somerset will be at the museum for the Lakeland Historic Car Club morning on Saturday, Feb 5 and also on Sunday, Feb 6.

February 6 is the formal beginning of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – the day marks the anniversary of Her Majesty’s succession to the throne after the death of her father King George VI. There will be a year long series of events to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee culminating with a four-day Bank Holiday weekend in early June.

Our 1952 Citroen Light 15 car is normally in situ within the main hall.

“We thought it would be nice to mark The Queen’s succession to the throne by offering visitors a taste of 1952,” says Chris Lowe, Operations Manager . “They will be able to see the sort of vehicles people would have been driving around in way back in the 1950s when The Queen began her historic reign.”

The Norton Model 7 Dominator motorcycle was the first twin-cylinder Norton motorcycle since the early 1900s and was designed to compete directly with twin-cylinder machines from rival companies such as Triumph, Ariel and BSA.

FREE Entrance for 70 year olds this weekend - Sat 5 February / Sun 6 February

Free entrance will be offered to anyone aged 70 this weekend as we kick-start The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Simply bring proof that you were born in 1952 and you can enter our museum free of charge.