SOUTH SOMERSET NEWS: New exhibition opens at Haynes International Motor Museum

THE doors to a new exhibition at the Haynes International Motor Museum have been officially opened.

The Morris Story exhibition was opened at the weekend by the museum’s chairman of trustees, John Haynes, and 11-year-old Robin Kimber.

Robin is the youngest great grandchild of Cecil Kimber, the general manager of Morris Garages in the 1920s and very much the mastermind behind the development and success of the MG motorcar.

The exhibition, conceived and created by Mike Penn, founding curator and trustee of the museum, offers an interactive experience with a recreation of a working 1930s garage, complete with a 1935 Morris 10/4 open tourer, beside the splendid collection of Morris and MG cars.

Mr Penn said: “Visitors are encouraged to explore, experience and discover, and maybe even get their hands a little dirty.”

PHOTO – TOP: Chairman of trustees, John Haynes, left, with Haynes International Motor Museum chief executive Marc Haynes, and Robin Kimber, 11, great grandchild of Cecil Kimber.

PHOTO – RIGHT: Chairman of the trustees, John Haynes, with young Robin Kimber prepare to cut the ribbon.

John Elwyn Kimber, Robin’s father and Cecil Kimber’s grandson, added: “I am delighted that the exhibit should celebrate Sir William Morris (Lord Nuffield), who gave my grandfather Cecil Kimber the opportunity to establish the ethos and character of the MG brand in the minds of motorists the world over.

“It is a most welcome addition to an already superb museum and I hope and trust it will be visited and enjoyed by many in the months and years to come.”

The museum’s chief executive, Marc Haynes, added: “This opening marks the start of a planned programme of exciting exhibition developments planned for the future.”

Haynes International Motor Museum is based near Sparkford.

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