Britain's Grand Prix Story
Step inside the historic Jackson Shed and discover the new exhibition: Britain’s Grand Prix Story. In 1926, Brooklands hosted the nation’s first Grand Prix, a landmark event that placed Britain on the international motorsport stage and ignited a century of engineering ambition, sporting innovation and human endeavour. Today, the legacy is brought to life in Britain’s Grand Prix Story.
This immersive exhibition takes visitors through more than 100 years of Grand Prix racing, from the thunder of early 20th century to the cutting-edge technology of Formula 1. At its heart are the machines themselves: iconic cars that chart the evolution of design, speed and performance.
The story unfolds across a series of themed sections. Where it all Began recreates the atmosphere of that first Grand Prix in Britain at Brooklands. In Innovation Through the Decades, visitors encounter the ingenuity that defines motorsport. From engines and aerodynamics to safety and materials, Grand Prix racing has always been a laboratory for new ideas. Meanwhile, Driven by People highlights the teamwork behind the sport, celebrating not just the drivers but also engineers, marshals, and countless others whose passion and knowledge make racing possible. Finally, Into the Future looks ahead, and show cases a mural of competition winning entries from our Design a Grand Prix car of the future 2026 community competition.
Together, these stories reveal not just the history of the sport but the story of people, place and progress, beginning here at Brooklands, where Britain’s Grand Prix journey first took shape.
Explore the workshop of Robin Jackson, one of motor racing’s leading engineers in the 1930s. This building is named after Jackson.
Look out for the racing car on the ceiling above the F1 simulator!
Further exhibitions
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Fastest on earth
In here you will discover the Brooklands Motorcycle collection and some of the greatest Brooklands cars to have raced on the track. -
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Race track
The original circuit, which opened in June 1907, was designed by Col. H.C.L. Holden to comprise a large banked oval circuit bisected by a finishing straight. -
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Aircraft factory
Explore the Brooklands Aircraft Factory, an immersive environment, harking back to the Hangar’s original use as a manufacturing building. -
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Flight shed
The Flight Shed exhibition tells the stories of the pilots and navigators who flew the aircraft. -
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Barnes Wallis stratosphere chamber
The inspirational story of Barnes Wallis, a pioneer beyond his times, who also designed the World War Two-winning Tall Boy and Bouncing Bombs. -
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First to the fastest
Brooklands was at the centre of some of the most significant innovations of the 20th century that have changed the way we travel today. -
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Innovating the world of flight
Brooklands was one of the most productive aircraft manufacturing sites in Europe, with nearly 19,000 aircraft having made their first flights from here over an 80 year period. -
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McLaren: Driven by design
This behind-the-scenes exhibition explores how the team at McLaren Automotive designed and developed one of the ultimate supercars, the McLaren Senna GTR. -
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London Bus museum
The London Bus Museum at Brooklands houses a remarkable collection of around 35 buses and coaches, the largest collection of working historic London buses in the world.
