SILVERSTONE HERITAGE EXPERIENCE ANNOUNCEMENT

Silverstone Heritage Experience secures £9.1 million of National Lottery funding

It has been officially announced today, Wednesday 7 December 2016 that The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded Silverstone Heritage Limited a £9.1 million grant which will enable it to build the Silverstone Heritage Experience at the home of British Motor Racing in Northamptonshire.

Sir Peter Luff, Chair of HLF, said “Silverstone is a place where so many legends of British motor racing have their roots. The speed and the glamour, though, are only part of the success of British motorsport since the late 1940s.  Thanks to National Lottery players, more of the stories in this exciting heritage can now be told; stories of drivers and sporting glory, yes, but also of the extraordinary creativity of British engineering and of all the people behind the scenes who, quite literally, have kept the show on the road.  When completed this project will help visitors, many of whom will know little about these aspects of Silverstone’s heritage, to understand much more about the context and importance of this internationally renowned racing circuit.”

Sally Reynolds, CEO of Silverstone Heritage Limited, said “We were delighted to hear that our bid has been successful. This means that work on the project can start in the New Year and that the Silverstone Heritage Experience can open to the public in spring 2019.”

The project will bring the extensive heritage of Silverstone and British motor racing to life for an estimated half a million visitors a year, through the creation of a dynamic, interactive and educational visitor experience.  The latest technology will be used to tell the amazing stories of the people that have been part of the site’s history, from medieval monks and WW2 air crew to the racing drivers, riders, engineers and marshals of today.

The Silverstone Heritage Experience includes:

•    A permanent exhibition that will take visitors on an exciting two hour journey through motor racing past, present and future.  The exhibition will be housed in the only remaining WWII hanger on the site, which is to the left of the main entrance. The hangar will be fully refurbished and re-clad to create a fantastic, authentic backdrop.

•    A Collections and Research Centre, offering museum and archive accredited storage for the unique British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) archive and other motor sport collections as well as a specialist library and learning space for school groups.

•    A series of themed tours stopping off at iconic sites around the circuit.

The Silverstone Heritage Experience will ensure that the heritage of Silverstone and British motor racing is explained and interpreted for today’s public as well as being protected for future generations. It will celebrate the circuit and the country’s position at the very heart of the global motor sport industry by explaining their historic and continuing importance to the sport.  By telling the extraordinary story of the UK’s central role in technological innovation and leadership within global motor sport, we aim to inspire the next generation of world class engineers and motor sport experts.