The World's First Race Track
Visit the world's first purpose-built 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.
In order to ensure safety at high speeds, the 2 ¾ mile long track was 100ft wide with two long straights joined by two sections of banked curve up to 30ft high. The track was built from unreinforced concrete which proved not to be robust enough and required continual repairs.
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![Brooklands Surrey, Archive Aerial View Of The Track C.1938]()
Brooklands Surrey, Archive Aerial View Of The Track C.1938 -
![Brooklands Surrey, Aerial View Of Racetrack From The North 1927 Archive]()
Brooklands Surrey, Aerial View Of Racetrack From The North 1927 Archive -
![Brooklands Surrey, Archive Racetrack Banking, D.Minnett M'cycle Record Attempt 1938]()
Brooklands Surrey, Archive Racetrack Banking, D.Minnett M'cycle Record Attempt 1938 -
![Brooklands Surrey, Archive Members Bridge, Track Construction]()
Brooklands Surrey, Archive Members Bridge, Track Construction -
![Brooklands Museum Surrey Members Banking With Air Raid Shelters]()
Brooklands Museum Surrey Members Banking With Air Raid Shelters
The Finishing Straight is a convention borrowed from horse racing (along with terms such as Paddock, Clerk of the Course and handicapping) designed to bring the excitement of the end of a race to the crowds centred around the grandstands and Clubhouse.
Further exhibitions
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![Brooklands Museum Surrey Jackson Shed Motoring Village]()
Grand Prix: Where It All Began
Drive the original track in the McLaren F1 Simulator and explore our collection of classic racing cars.
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![Brooklands Museum Surrey ERA Shed Napier Railton S Hogan]()
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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![Brooklands Museum Surrey, Edwardian Clubhouse And Paddock Lawn Sunshine]()
Clubhouse
The green-domed Clubhouse was built in 1907 to accommodate the race track officials such as stewards, the Clerk of the Scales and the Clerk of the Course.
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![Aircraft Factory Visitor Header]()
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 Hawk Header]()
Flight shed
The Flight Shed exhibition tells the stories of the pilots and navigators who flew the aircraft.
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![E348ec7e8bf285650a99f660eb155dc2]()
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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![70Ce1a77ea3410c484b45f4b991d1a03]()
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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![Aircraft Park Vickers Viking Header S Hogan]()
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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![Brooklands Museum Surrey Mclaren Senna GTR Outside Jackson Shed]()
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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![Brooklands Museum Surrey London Bus Museum Family]()
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.
