Motor museums and more on the Isle of Man

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At just 220 square miles, the Isle of Man is a small island, but one which is known the world over for its contributions to motoring and motorcycling history. The inaugural Tourist Trophy race for motor-cars was held on the island in 1905 and the more famous motorcycle T.T. started in 1907 and continues to be a major annual spectacle. The Isle of Man even has a car-making pedigree, being home to the Peel Engineering Company in the 1950s and ’60s. The Manx motoring connections are not just confined to the past, though; a host of interesting transport museums make it a wonderful place for the enthusiast to take a holiday, as we found out on a recent visit.

Isle of Man Motor Museum

The main motoring attraction is the large and eclectic motor museum, opened in 2015 to display the father-and-son collection of Denis and Darrell Cunningham. The collection is notable for its esoteric themes, with the Cunninghams having a particular interest in specialized coachwork. There is, for example, an avenue of Cadillacs, almost all of which are hearses, ambulances, flower cars or other rare variations.

The Cunninghams have a commendable approach to preservation, displaying many of their exhibits in unrestored condition. A handful of exhibits will require restoration if they are to be driven again, such as the enormous 1929 American LaFrance Type 147 fire engine, but we would much rather see it preserved and displayed rather than cut up into yet another speedster.

Various other pre-war cars are also to be seen, going back to a 1903 Columbia Electric Mk. XXXI. A 1935 Daimler Double Six, again unrestored, has perhaps the most interesting provenance, reputedly being built for King George V. However, he died before it was completed, so it was instead exhibited at the 1936 Olympia Motor Show. The building additionally houses the TT Museum, a large collection of road and racing motorcycles dating back to 1921.

Milntown Estate

The very epitome of a hidden gem, the Milntown Estate contains a beautiful historic house remodelled in the Regency era in the Strawberry Hill Gothic idiom and 15 acres of vibrant gardens. That is reason enough to visit, but its specific interest to us is the fact that in the 1950s and ’60s it was home to Sir Clive Edwards, a keen collector of veteran and vintage cars and motorcycles.

He had a particular penchant for ABC and Douglas motorcycles, of which there are several, plus four cars: two ABCs, a 1900 New Orleans and a 1910 Delage. Both the New Orleans and Delage appear in oily-rag condition and have history from new, but maybe the greatest highlights are to be found among the motorcycles. Not only does the collection house the only surviving Vauxhall motorcycle, a 1,000cc, inline-four, shaft-drive machine from 1922, but also a 1923 Douglas Model RA combination raced by Freddie Dixon in the inaugural Sidecar T.T. Complete with original disc brakes and a mechanically tilting sidecar, the innovative machine won the race, but the tilting sidecar was disqualified for the following year.

Murray’s Motorcycle Museum

Charles Murray started collecting historic motorcycles in the 1950s and opened his collection to the public in 1964. When his son Peter took over, the collection was reorganized to reflect his taste for younger machines, but there are still plenty of pre-war exhibits to make a visit worthwhile, including a 1922 Royal Enfield 1,000cc and 1921 Triumph which joined the collection in 1956 and 1962 respectively.

The most fascinating exhibit must be the 1910 Rex Ladies’ Model which was said to have been ridden by the pioneering Miss Muriel Hind, perhaps the motorcycling equivalent of Dorothy Levitt. Miss Hind forged a close relationship with Rex and became a works test rider, her exploits in hill-climbs and trials generating excellent publicity.

Jurby Transport Museum

Regrettably, time did not allow us to pay a visit to the Jurby Transport Museum, it being open only on Sundays, but that was our loss. Housed within a wartime RAF aeroplane hangar, the museum contains a large collection of pre- and post-war exhibits, many with local connections, including cars, motorcycles, buses and commercial vehicles.

If you’re making plans for a holiday later in the year or next year, you should find plenty to keep you happy on the Isle of Man.

Words and photographs: Zack Stiling
 

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