Museum brings in 80,000 visitors

Ahead of the Lakeland Motor Museum’s fifth anniversary on its current site (on Wednesday 27 May 2015), it’s been revealed that 80,000 people have visited the attraction in the past year.

Annual visitor numbers have grown steadily since the Lakeland Motor Museum’s relocation to Backbarrow in 2010, with more than 350,000 visitors during the five years, but it’s the first time they have broken the 80,000 barrier in a single 12 month period. The latest record-breaking figures are the highest in the Museum’s 37 year old history.

Lakeland Motor Museum’s move from Holker Hall to its current home near the southern tip of Windermere five years ago tripled the amount of exhibition space, enabling it to build upon its collection of 30,000 exhibits and providing more space to present its eclectic mix of vehicles and motoring memorabilia in more of a social context.

The past 12 months have seen special events draw in the crowds, including a brand new ‘Drive & Ride In’ day on Boxing Day and a Vintage Vespa gathering to celebrate iconic two-wheelers of the 1960s. As well as old favourites like the Isle of Man TT display and the Campbell Bluebird Exhibition, there have also been a string of popular new attention-grabbing exhibits including the world’s final surviving Tri Van, a collection of legendary Vincent motorbikes and the TVR Cerbera Speed 12 - originally conceived as the world's highest performance road car.

Edwin Maher, Director at the Lakeland Motor Museum, says, “The Museum isn’t just about cars or motorcycles, and I think that’s why it continues to grow in popularity. The collection is presented in a social context to create an atmosphere of nostalgia, designed to awaken motoring memories for visitors and reinforce our status as a world-class transport heritage site for the North West of England.”

“The future is looking bright, although we can’t rest on our laurels. We have some exciting restoration projects in the pipeline and are looking forward to welcoming visitors and their vehicles for more special events such as a Triumph Model H rally in June, which will celebrate motorbikes from 1923 and earlier.”

* PICTURED - Customer Eileen Stokes, who was visiting from Scotland with her husband Cecil, was officially the 80,000th visitor. They were both treated to complimentary Museum entry and a slice of special celebratory cake