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Δ of the £22m-odd invested), The Silverstone
Experience CEO Sally Reynolds, six-times F1 world
champion Lewis Hamilton (who handed over one
of his race helmets) and Prince Harry.
It was an especially great day for Reynolds,
who joined the embryo project from Legoland in
2011, fronted the various bids for lottery funding,
encouraged other big-scale donations, negotiated
endlessly with circuit owners, planners and local
authorities, survived two episodes when it looked
as though the whole project would collapse and
finally brought it to fruition.
Weirdly, because details of royal events aren’t
published beforehand, we were trying to contact
Reynolds by phone at the precise moment Prince
Harry was bearing his scissors to cut the red
ribbon, as it were. When the dignitaries departed,
w e d id m a n a ge t o m a k e a n app oi nt me nt a nd
presented ourselves at a sodden Silverstone a
c ouple of d ay s l at e r t o b e me t b y R e y nold s i n t he
Experience’s spacious ground-f loor coffee shop, a
haunt most visitors are going to find hard to resist.
As you approach the Experience from the nearest
car park, to the left of Silverstone’s main entrance
road, you wonder two things: a) why you hadn’t
noticed this enormous, imposing building before;
and b) whether all of the enclosed space, 4000
s qu a r e me t r e s of it , i s t o b e t a k e n up b y t he mu s e u m.
The first answer’s easy: the building wasn’t
imposing before. It was big, ramshackle and
ugly, a steel-framed former World War II aircraft
hangar erected 70 years ago to house Wellington
bombers that subsequently flew out of both the
former wartime Silverstone training airfield on
this site and Turweston, its twin a couple of miles
away. When racing began in 1948, this venerable
structure did at least provide the names of Hangar
Straight and Wellington Straight, and still does.
The hangar was meant to be temporary but, after
70 y e a r s , it w a s fou nd t o b e m a i n l y s ou nd , a lb e it
with some weirdly man-made corrosion problems
in its corners (use your imagination). Once a huge
central steel truss had been expensively replaced,
it was structurally ready to be re-clad outside
and refitted within. As for space, the generous
scale of the exhibits – on several levels – is very
clear once you climb the stairs that begin your
journey through the exhibits. From the top, you
lo ok dow n on a t r ue pa nor a m a of c a r s , he r o e s ,
massive images, maps, all manner of video-based
interactive exhibits, the heads of various living,
breathing and very helpful volunteers and,
above all, space. It stretches to the building’s
very extremities.
How e v e r, R e y nold s c ho s e t o me e t u s i n t he
ground-f loor coffee shop because through its
g l a z e d w a l l i s a n i n it i a l v ie w of t he or i g i n a l
track, and a grassy space intended for picnics.
It is both historic and instantly inviting.
At the top of the entrance stairs, there’s alarge landing that serves as a viewing gallery,
instantly promising you an absorbing and
detailed experience. The theory is that this
curbs visitors’ tendency to rush their viewing
to discover what’s next. Walk forward and you
see a giant race circuit map, with explanations
about how it has changed over the years and how
famous corners and features got their names.
You rapidly learn about the ancient history
of the area: about the medieval Luffield Priory
(which provides names for both Luffield corner
and Abbey curve) and about the dubious morals
Cropley finds Tech
Lab’s suspension
display engrossing