Tony Wraight
looks into the
halcyonic heyday
of the picnic
hamper.
'The age of the
motor car and
the motorway has
brought many
blessings. The
ability to
travel the
length and
breadth of the
country in
comparative ease
and comfort
(traffic jams
and roadwork's
permitting). The
capacity to
cover large
mileage at high
speeds is now a
part of our
lives. Life is a
hard taskmaster
however, and
teaches us that
as we gain we
lose, and as
modern road
development
manifests
itself, so
another custom
fades into
oblivion...'
Jack Tucker's Garage.
'Few car museums
in the world can
match the unique
collection of
the world
renowned
National Motor
Museum at
Beaulieu.
Managed by the
National Motor
Museum Trust,
Beaulieu is also
the home of the
world famous
Beaulieu
International
Autojumble and
Automart.
Whether your
interest is as
an individual, a
motor
enthusiast, or
as a member of
an interest
group or
educational
party, when it
comes to cars,
motorbikes,
commercial
vehicles,
motoring
eccentricities
and memorabilia,
the National
Motor Museum is
firmly in the
driving seat...'
Clare Blake joins the many
admirers of these emblems of automobilia.
'Just as when a
Viking ship
crested a wave,
it was the
carved
figurehead that
first emerged
from the spray,
so when an early
automobile made
its spluttering
progress over
the brow of a
hill, an
onlooker would
see a metal
object
glittering in
the light. This
was the car
mascot, but it
was far more
than simply a
metal object,
for it hid a
deeper meaning
and symbolic
purpose...'
In September last year Henry
Aldridge & Son auctioned over 400 lots of
Titanic and White Star Line memorabilia with
record breaking results.
'Although the
Titanic sank
nearly 96 years
ago, demand for
memorabilia from
her shows little
sign of abating.
A mystique has
built up around
the story since
her demise on a
cold April night
in 1912 with the
loss of 1,517
lives.
Ironically
though it was
not until the
film ‘A Night to
Remember’ was
released in 1958
that the story
was brought back
to the attention
of the media in
general. Several
films came and
went after what
is still seen by
many as the
definitive movie
on the subject...'
