The Brooklands Concorde Experience
With Concorde Delta Golf now open to the general public, this page brings together all the details and information that anybody might need prior to visiting DG - from a rough guide to what there is to see onboard Concorde, to admission prices and directions to the museum.
The Experience:
The Brooklands Concorde Experience has been designed to give visitors a unique experience and something different from the other Concorde exhibits around the country. Entry to Delta Golf is by ticket only and tours start at intervals of 15 minutes each day, 7 days a week. It is not normally necessary to pre-book tickets prior to visiting the museum although there is a limit to the number of tours each day and naturally certain times of the year are busier than others (school holidays etc.)
The inside of Delta Golf is split into 3 main areas. Visitors board DG via the cargo door at the rear of the aircraft and enter into the rear cabin. In operational service Concorde's rear cabin would have contained 60 seats, however, Delta Golf's rear cabin has been converted in an exhibition area. Here can be found exhibits such as George Edwards' famous 'Pork Pie' hat, Delta Golf's original flight logs and a helmet worn by flight crew during Concorde's testing days. Also in here are 3 video screens that show several short videos, one of which is called 'The Brooklands Concorde Story'. As the name suggests, this tells the story of Delta Golf, how it was transported to Brooklands and how it was rebuilt and restored.
Visitors then walk through the mid-cabin and an area of extended exhibition space called 'Concorde Through the Decades'. In here is a selection of seats that Concorde flew with during its operational life covering the 70s, 80s, and 90s. These include a pair of the plush blue leather Terence Conran designed seats that most of the British Airways Concordes were fitted with up until their retirement. The seat tray tables are complete with unique Concorde crockery and cutlery and general Concorde memorabilia. The wall panels, hat racks and forward bukheads in this area are all that now exists of Delts Golf's original interior. Also on show in here are two large test equipment racks that were original fitted in Delta Golf's aft hold during the 1970s.
Finally, visitors walk through to the forward cabin. Here they are invited to take their seats for their Concorde 'flight'. The forward cabin has been completely re-fitted with interior trim, luggage bins and 40 seats. In addition, the cabin has been fitted with a large video screen and a state of the art sound system that helps to give people some idea of what a flight on Concorde was like. The video is presented by Captain Mike Bannister and he guides you from take off and the acceleration through Mach 2 - twice the speed of sound - with explanations of how Concorde was operated during the different phases of flight. During the video the Mach meters on the forward bulkheads display Concorde's speed and height. Once in the cruise at Mach 2 and 58000ft there is a special treat for visitors - but you’ll have to visit to see that!
On the way out visitors have an opportunity to view (but, unfortunately, not enter) Delta Golf's cockpit. This has been completely re-fitted with instruments, flight controls and crew seats. The cockpit of Concorde really is a sight to behold with its myriad of dials and switches and is a glimpse back at 1960s technology and the days when it took a minimum of 3 people to fly an airliner. In the not too distant future it will be possible to partially enter the cockpit where a specially made perspex door (with suitably cut hole for cameras!) will allow visitors to see the cockpit close-up. When visitors leave Delta Golf, there is a chance to sign the visitors book and to let us know how much they enjoyed the experience!
Admission Prices:
Entry to Concorde requires a small additional charge on top of museum admission. Boarding cards can be purchased from the Concorde Ticket Office which is situated in the Shell Pagoda near the museum Clubhouse.
Brooklands Museum:
Adults - £8
Senior Citizens and Students - £6
Children 5-16 - £5 (Children under 5 - free)
Family Ticket (2 adults, 3 children) - £20
Concorde Experience:
Adults, Senior Citizens and Students - £5* (*discounts available on week days, except during August)
Children 5-16 - £2
Opening Times:
Brooklands Museum:
Summer: 10am to 5pm
Winter: 10am to 4pm
(Last entry 1 hour before closing)
Concorde Experience:
First Tour - 10:30
Last Tour - 15:30 (16:30 during summer months)
Tours run every 15 minutes
Museum Directions/Contact Details:
Brooklands Museum is located in Weybridge, Surrey in South East England. Click on the map on the left for contact details and detailed instructions of how to get there.
Other Information:
The museum is open every day of the year with the exception of Christmas Day.
Brooklands has facilities for disabled visitors. Should you require assistance, please ask a member of staff who will be glad to help. Regrettably, due the inherent nature of Concorde's design, the narrow aisles inside the cabin and the steps leading to and from the aircraft mean that Delta Golf is not wheelchair accessible.
-
There is a small restaurant at the museum that sells a selection of hot and cold food and drinks.
Parking at Brooklands is free.
Click here for a site map of the museum.
