Streets Ahead

Enter a street full of nostalgia and memories as we transport you to a bygone era from the 1950s to the 1970s. Go back in time with our new shop displays packed with items from the Collections, many on exhibition for the first time.

Our new permanent display showcases a street scene from decades following the Second World War when Britain underwent a period of rapid social, cultural, and economic change.

The new area displays artefacts from our extensive motoring collections and enables a view of social history using the prism of vehicles from the era. It’s an opportune moment to look back, at a time when the high-street is experiencing yet another revolution in shopping habits.

A charming toy shop with treasured playthings, a motoring clothing shop boasting sensible or fashionable outerwear and accessories, a travel agent to show how we planned trips and excursions, and a mobile hardware store – a shopping option when roads were quieter and perhaps lives were less busy.

The decades following the Second World War saw full employment, a growing population, greater affluence, the emergence of the ‘teenager’ as a distinct sector of society, and an explosion in the affordability and availability of consumer goods, all fuelled a booming economy. Motoring was central to this transformation.

Cars and motorcycles became accessible to more people than ever before. Mass motor vehicle ownership, and the freedom for everyone to travel, was part of the shared experience of post-war life. Through travel, fashion, in entertainment, and while growing up, motoring became a significant part of popular culture.