British Motorcycle Charitable Trust
Encyclopedia
The British Motorcycle Charitable Trust (BMCT) is a Charitable Trust
dedicated to promoting and supporting the preservation and restoration of British
motorcycles. Established as a Registered Charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1979, the Trust aims to protect and restore rare British motorcycles and provide access to the public through a network of museums and annual motorcycle heritage events. The Trust also provides support and resources to educational establishments, clubs and private individuals and maintains information on all aspects of British motorcycles.
at Solihull
before it was transferred to a private management company.
Coventry Transport Museum
worker Damien Kimberley has compiled a unique history of the motorcycle manufacturing industry in Coventry.
The BMCT are affiliated with and support a network of transport museums around the UK to display rare British motorcycles and members have free entry to the following collections:
The Trust also supports the Manx National Heritage
museum and has provided financial assistance to help them preserve historic British motorcycles with TT and MGP history.
The Black Country Living Museum
was supported with a gift of £135,000 from the Trust in 2001 when the Marston Collection became available for and the BMCT together with Heritage Lottery Fund helped the Museum buy the collection, which included several rare Black Country motorcycles including a 1918 Sunbeam military vehicle found in a derelict state in France
.
, a Scott Flying Squirrel
, a 1923 Beardmore Precision
and a 1937 Brough Superior SS80
. The Trust has recently acquired the last running Triumph Bandit
which it has donated to the Coventry Transport Museum and a rare Carfield ‘Baby’ from 1923 which has a 1.5 HP Villiers engine and won a Bronze Medal in the Scottish Six Days Trial
covering over 1,000 miles in challenging conditions. The Trust is also funding the restoration of a 1936 Triumph Tiger 80
by the Coventry Transport Museum.
.
The Trust also worked with the Coventry Transport Museum to produce the book Coventry's Motorcycle Heritage about Coventry’s motorcycle manufacturers and marques.
Charitable trust
A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...
dedicated to promoting and supporting the preservation and restoration of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
motorcycles. Established as a Registered Charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee in 1979, the Trust aims to protect and restore rare British motorcycles and provide access to the public through a network of museums and annual motorcycle heritage events. The Trust also provides support and resources to educational establishments, clubs and private individuals and maintains information on all aspects of British motorcycles.
Funding
As well as donations and membership subscriptions, the Trust benefits from legacies from motorcycle enthusiasts. The income is used to provide restoration grants and to improve transport museums in the UK.Trustees
The Board of Trustees are all volunteer motorcycle enthusiasts and the current Chairman is Peter WellingsMuseums
Between 1979 and 1995 the Trust developed the National Motorcycle MuseumNational Motorcycle Museum (UK)
The National Motorcycle Museum occupies an site in Bickenhill, Solihull, England and holds the world's largest collection of British motorcycles. In addition to over 850 motorcycles which cover a century of motorcycle manufacture the site has conference facilities...
at Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
before it was transferred to a private management company.
Coventry Transport Museum
Coventry Transport Museum
The Coventry Transport Museum is a motor museum, located in Coventry City Centre, England. It houses a collection of British-made road transport. It is located in Coventry because the city was previously the centre of the British car industry...
worker Damien Kimberley has compiled a unique history of the motorcycle manufacturing industry in Coventry.
The BMCT are affiliated with and support a network of transport museums around the UK to display rare British motorcycles and members have free entry to the following collections:
- Black Country Museum
- Brooklands MuseumBrooklands MuseumBrooklands Museum is an independent charitable trust, established in 1987, whose aim is to conserve, protect and interpret the unique heritage of the Brooklands site. It is located south of Weybridge, Surrey and was first opened regularly in 1991 on of the original 1907 motor-racing circuit...
- Coventry Transport MuseumCoventry Transport MuseumThe Coventry Transport Museum is a motor museum, located in Coventry City Centre, England. It houses a collection of British-made road transport. It is located in Coventry because the city was previously the centre of the British car industry...
- Haynes International Motor MuseumHaynes International Motor MuseumHaynes International Motor Museum at Sparkford near Yeovil in Somerset, England, contains over 400 cars and motorcycles and a collection of other automobilia....
- Heritage Motor CentreHeritage Motor CentreThe Heritage Motor Centre is a British motor museum and research centre, located adjacent to the Jaguar Land Rover Gaydon Centre near Gaydon in Warwickshire, England. The centre is open to the public, and houses a collection of important vehicles, celebrating Britain's motoring heritage...
- London Motorcycle MuseumLondon Motorcycle MuseumThe London Motorcycle Museum opened in May 1999 at Oldfield Lane South, Greenford, Middlesex. A charitable trust, it displays a range of over 150 classic and British motorcycles. Notable exhibits include the last Triumph Bonneville T140 out of the Meriden gates in 1983.-History:Bill Crosby, the...
- National Motorcycle MuseumNational Motorcycle Museum (UK)The National Motorcycle Museum occupies an site in Bickenhill, Solihull, England and holds the world's largest collection of British motorcycles. In addition to over 850 motorcycles which cover a century of motorcycle manufacture the site has conference facilities...
- Beaulieu National Motor Museum
- Sammy Miller Museum
The Trust also supports the Manx National Heritage
Manx National Heritage
Manx National Heritage is the national heritage organisation for the Isle of Man. It was established in 1951 as the Manx National Trust, and its legal title is the Manx Museum and National Trust.-Overview:...
museum and has provided financial assistance to help them preserve historic British motorcycles with TT and MGP history.
The Black Country Living Museum
Black Country Living Museum
The Black Country Living Museum is an open-air museum of rebuilt historic buildings, located in Dudley in the West Midlands of England. The museum occupies a urban heritage park in the shadow of Dudley Castle in the centre of the Black Country conurbation...
was supported with a gift of £135,000 from the Trust in 2001 when the Marston Collection became available for and the BMCT together with Heritage Lottery Fund helped the Museum buy the collection, which included several rare Black Country motorcycles including a 1918 Sunbeam military vehicle found in a derelict state in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Motorcycles
The British Motorcycle Charitable Trust own and restore a range of rare British motorcycles including a 1911 BSA 3.5 HPBirmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
, a Scott Flying Squirrel
Scott Flying Squirrel
The Scott Flying Squirrel was a motorcycle made by The Scott Motorcycle Company between 1926 and the outbreak of World War II.-Development:The Squirrel name was used for Scott motorcycles since 1921 but with the death of the founder Alfred Angas Scott in 1923 the unorthodox Scott two-stroke...
, a 1923 Beardmore Precision
Beardmore Precision Motorcycles
Beardmore Precision Motorcycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer. The original Precision company was set up by Frank E.Baker in Birmingham. Frank Baker quickly established a reputation for performance motorcycle engines and supplied Haden, and Sun Motorcycles...
and a 1937 Brough Superior SS80
Brough Superior SS80
The Brough Superior SS80 was a motorcycle designed and built by George Brough in Nottingham UK in 1924. Described by The Motor Cycle as "The Rolls-Royce of Motor Cycles", production ended with the outbreak of World War II in 1939.-Development:...
. The Trust has recently acquired the last running Triumph Bandit
Triumph Bandit
The Triumph Bandit was a British motorcycle manufactured as a prototype by Triumph in 1970. Designed by Edward Turner as his last project with help from Bert Hopwood, the Bandit never went into commercial production, and only five have survived, making them very rare.-Development:Launched in...
which it has donated to the Coventry Transport Museum and a rare Carfield ‘Baby’ from 1923 which has a 1.5 HP Villiers engine and won a Bronze Medal in the Scottish Six Days Trial
Scottish Six Days Trial
The Scottish Six Days Trial is an internationally recognised Motorcycle trials competition, which has been running since 1909 making it the oldest motorcycle trials event in the world...
covering over 1,000 miles in challenging conditions. The Trust is also funding the restoration of a 1936 Triumph Tiger 80
Triumph Tiger 80
The Triumph Tiger 80 is a British motorcycle first made by Triumph from 1937. There was also a 250cc Tiger 70 and a 500cc Tiger 90. Production of the Tiger ended with the outbreak of World War II and never resumed after the Triumph works at Priory Street in Coventry were completely destroyed during...
by the Coventry Transport Museum.
Educational work
The Trust funds a range of research and educational work relating to the British motorcycle inducstry and has funded work by staff at Coventry Transport Museum to write a history of the motorcycle manufacturing industry in CoventryCoventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
.
The Trust also worked with the Coventry Transport Museum to produce the book Coventry's Motorcycle Heritage about Coventry’s motorcycle manufacturers and marques.