The Sammy Miller Museum

By John Bramall

I thought you might like to know that our brand new two storey 10,000 sq ft glass fronted extension was ready to open to our visitors just days before lockdown! There were plans to have the official opening earlier last month but of course those plans have been put on hold! We will of course let you know the date when we are in our "new normal" and able to invite our very important VIP here to perform the official opening. We want to enhance our visitor experience and with two open floors we will be able to do just that.

As you are aware, the Museum houses one of the most important motorcycle collections in the world, attracting visitors from the local area, UK and all over the globe and with visitor numbers in the "tens of thousands" and increasing year on year as the collection grows. International and returning visitor numbers have shown the highest increase, demonstrating the world class quality of the museum. The Museum Trust continues to receive important exhibits to add to the existing collection and Sammy is committed to developing and protecting the Museum contents for future generations. This will ensure that the unique motorcycle and heritage collection which Sammy has built up over 5 decades is kept together and safeguarded for the nation. We have received great support from the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust who have confirmed that we will be their HQ for the UK along with displaying many of their wonderful bikes. This will make the Museum one of the biggest motorcycle museums in the world and needless to say, we will enjoy many visitors from all over the world, certainly putting the New Forest and New Milton firmly on the tourist map!

As with all world class collections, it is critical to both protect the existing portfolio and add appropriate exhibits and heritage assets to improve the depth and quality of the wider museum. This extra space will enable us to significantly improve public access to the collection and its value as a unique educational resource.

Exciting times are ahead!!

During lockdown Sammy has been happily isolating himself in the Workshop restoring some of the Museum's bikes, have you seen his Restoration Files on Facebook? We have had over 1.3 million views so far!!!

Links to these are below:

• Part 3 - Frame Disassembly: http://www.facebook.com/833480193410270/ videos/248759793158248

• Part 4 Engine Build: https://www.facebook.com/833480193410270/ videos/260211402024924

• Bike Profiles AJS 7R and Norton Manx: https://www.facebook.com/833480193410270/ videos/889435494902763

• Norton Gallery: https://www.facebook.com/833480193410270/videos/259185445226669

With thanks to Viv Brackett for providing the information for this article .