On Tuesday 25th March the Friends of Romsey Abbey visited the Brooklands Motor and Aviation Museum. The group were given an interesting guided tour, showing them the early days of Brooklands, in relation to both its Motoring and Aviation history which set the scene very well, enabling them to concentrate on their areas of special interest.
There was much to see and learn, including the wonderfully presented examples of the cars and motorcycles, especially the monstrous Napier Railton built in 1933 for John Cobb and fitted with a 24 litre aero engine. This car still holds the lap record for the circuit at 143 mph. a truly remarkable feat.
The other highlight of the visit and experienced by most of the group, was the virtual flight aboard Concorde. They took their places in the luxury of the original seating to follow an excellent video recreation of a Mach 2 flight complete with vibrations. A wonderful piece of aviation history indeed and something we can be proud of even today!