John's Trip to Myreton Motor Museum

        The Myreton Motor Museum is housed in rather unprepossessing buildings on a farm in the middle of no-where, half-way between North Berwick and Aberlady.   It is, however, well worth a visit, as it has a remarkable selection of vintage / classic cars on the ground floor, and toys, engines, and other memorabilia up the stairs in the attic. The entrance fee, especially if you are aged, is also very reasonable. My grand-son, Theo, loved it!

         I found that the “small-world” syndrome struck almost as soon as we went in the door :  an example of my very first vehicle

 (55 HVD), the original mini-van, was the first thing I saw. Mine was fitted out with foam insulation on the walls and roof of the back section, with a thick rubber and carpeted flooring and a couple of large cushion/pillows. (Well, students never knew where they might have to sleep!). It had a rally seat cover and steering wheel, with in-car music…. from a transistor radio. I also painted the outside in very 60-ish psychedelic multi-colours, although I never did inform the DVLA - it remained Willow Green on the registration document until the sub-frame collapsed and it had to be scrapped!

           In the next section was a 1930s MG TA. My cousin, Crawford, bought the body shell of one of these in the 60’s and restored it by fitting an engine from a Ford Popular. He had no mechanical training or experience, but learned as he went along, and its scarlet bodywork was a real head-turner on Arran. (And, dare I say it, a bird-puller par excellence!!). There was also a nice MGB Roadster, one of which now sits in my garage for the winter! I hope I can get its MoT next month.

          In the next section was a Humber Super Snipe which had originally been owned by Lord Younger of Leckie, who had been a patient of mine in the 80s. It still had an astonishingly low mileage.

          Theo’s favourite was the Packard and he wondered where his Daddy could get one. There were really too many lovely vehicles to describe them all.

          The upstairs section was equally interesting. Mainly for children, there were old pedal cars, some in remarkably good condition, prams, bicycles and games, but there were also lawn-mowers and old outboard engines (I remember lugging our dirty, smelly, ancient Seagull from the car down to the boats at Kings Cross when we went fishing on Arran. It used an oil/ petrol mixture and weighed a ton, especially coming back up the hill!). I now have a four-stroke Suzuki which weighs nothing in comparison.

           I have only scratched the surface of this place, so if you should be out for a drive in East Lothian, please give it a visit. We will certainly be back once Theo’s wee brother is old enough to enjoy it.

Dr John