Milestones, Basingstoke

Milestones, Basingstoke

23rd September 2010
My journey around the South was completed by a visit to Hampshire County Council’s museum ‘Milestones’ in Basingstoke. This is based around numerous reconstructed streets populated by conserved and restored vehicles (steam, internal combustion, electric and hand) with other displays contained within the buildings. The big difference to Beamish is that this is all under a roof! This enables museum conditions to be maintained and more precious items to be displayed than would be possible at Beamish. However, the down side is that the vehicles cannot move, though I understand that most are restored and kept in working order. It is an impressive venue and odd to look up and see not the sky, but the large glass roof – shades of the film The Truman Show…!!!
Below: The core of the vehicle collection is based around examples from local manufacturers Thorneycroft, Taskers and Wallis & Steevens.
Below: This is a recreation of the Taskers works – very convincing. Note there is no sky, instead a roof!