
English museum home to world-famous collection – as well as UK's oldest monorail
THE UK'S oldest monorail is based at a museum in the New Forest, between Southampton and Bournemouth.
The historic monorail, located at Beaulieu, stretches for a mile and allows guests to explore the museum from above.
4
4
It even goes over the roof of the National Motor Museum.
As guests travel on the monorail, commentary tells the stories behind the different things they see on their journey.
Visitors can experience the monorail through regular services across the day.
Over 240,000 visitors take a trip on the Monorail each year.
Last year, the Monorail at Beaulieu celebrated 50 years since it opened in 1974.
Over the decades, visitors have enjoyed the travelling on the monorail at the museum.
Back in 1974, it was opened by The Wombles - the furry, secretive creatures created by Elizabeth Beresford.
However, it was not the first monorail at Beaulieu.
Before the 'Skytrain', there was a less permanent structure in place for the opening of the National Motor Museum in 1972.
This monorail featured battery operated mechanics, from milk floats and soon after it was launched, it was realised that something more permanent was needed.
Tiny English village named one of the most beautiful in the UK is home to huge motor museum
Butlin's was actually the thing that inspired a permanent monorail at the museum, as the resort at Skegness was home to the first commercial monorail system in the UK.
An agreement was made, whereby Beaulieu purchased the same mechanism to use for its 'Skytrain'.
The trains were recently named 'Monty' and 'Mary' and for the 50th anniversary, the monorail station underwent a refresh, with a new design on both the inside and outside of the carriages paying homage to the history of the ride.
Visitors can enjoy unlimited rides of the monorail during their visit to Beaulieu, as this is included in a general admission ticket.
There is even Beaulieu Monorail-themed merchandise in the museum's gift shop.
Beaulieu is also home to many other attractions for visitors to explore.
The National Motor Museum features some of the earliest motor carriages, as well as classic family saloons and Formula 1 cars.
4
Visitors can also head to the Palace House, which was once the gatehouse of the medieval Beaulieu Abbey and has been home to the Montagu's since 1538.
The palace was extensively remodelled in the 19th century, making it into a Victorian country house, with Gothic features.
A number of rooms in the Palace have recently been refurbished and will open to the public over Easter.
Tickets to the full attraction, including the above and more such as the gardens, is £27 per adult or £15.50 per child, when booked in advance.
The closest train station is Brockenhurst, where trains from London regularly stop.
A new tour of three historic UK train stations was recently announced.
Plus, the 150-year-old British train station named one of Europe's best.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
UK beach that's ‘falling into the sea' reveals drastic new plans to stop it disappearing forever
Plus, the English seaside town at risk of losing its beach that has revealed £11million restoration plans WAVE GOODBYE UK beach that's 'falling into the sea' reveals drastic new plans to stop it disappearing forever Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A UK beach that is at risk of disappearing has revealed new protection plans. Montrose Beach in Scotland has struggled with erosion for years and consequently, lost centuries-old golf links into the sea. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Montrose Beach in Scotland has struggled with erosion for years Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 And now, plans have been proposed to protect the beach from disappearing further Credit: Getty 5 Two 100-metre-long groynes are planned for the beach, 200 metres apart Credit: AECOM/Angus Council However, experts hope that new plans for two rock armour groynes will slow the loss of the dunes. Montrose Beach currently stretches three miles to the North Esk River, with views south to Scurdieness Lighthouse. However, parts of the beach have been impacted worse than others including the sand dunes, which have been eroded as much as 12 metres. According to a planning submission, the beach has lost three metres a year since 2016. And since 1995, the sea has reclaimed over 70 metres in total. Now with recent acceleration the beach is disappearing even faster. The Courier has reported that as a result, experts at infrastructure firm AECOM are developing the coastal erosion battle plan for Angus Council. The two long structures - which are typically made of wood, concrete, or rubble and usually extend from the shoreline into the sea - will be designed to limit the movement of sand on the beach. Each structure will be 100 metres long and 10 metres wide and they will be about 200 metres apart. AECOM said: "This spacing has been assessed as optimal to provide the best amount of sediment capture. Howell Davies on New Smyrna Beach Florida travel 5 The large structures will also each be 10-metres-wide Credit: Alamy "The groynes initially tie into the existing beach levels at the shore end, increasing to one metre above beach levels at their outer extent." AECOM expects the build of the structures to take three months. Proposals for the popular tourist destination are part of a wider, long-term approach to tackle the threat of flood corridors and the North Sea's impact on the beach's dunes. The application now needs to be accessed by the local council. Until then, you can visit the family-friendly beach which also has a promenade, as well as car parking. For other things to explore, there is also a shop and an amusement centre. For little ones, there is a Seafront Splash play area for children featuring pools, a pitch and putt and an ice cream parlour. One of the nice walks to do is head along the length of the beach before returning via an inland route and visiting the North Water viaduct - which is now part of a cycle path. Another English beach is at risk of disappearing forever with the 'fastest erosion in Europe'. Plus, the English seaside town at risk of losing its beach that has revealed £11million restoration plans.


Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Spanish overtakes French as most popular foreign language GCSE, figures suggest
Spanish has overtaken French as the most popular foreign language at GCSE, figures suggest. Provisional data for England shows exam entries for French GCSE this summer are down by 1.9%, from 130,650 last summer to 128,155 this year. GCSE entries for German have also fallen by 7.6% over the past year, from 35,110 to 32,430. But GCSE entries for Spanish have increased by 1.6%, from 129,935 in summer 2024 to 131,985 this summer, according to the latest Ofqual figures. The rising popularity of Spanish could be because pupils are more familiar with the language because of the popularity of Spain, the Balearics, and Canary Islands as holiday destinations, a school leaders' union has suggested. At A-level, entries for French and German are also down (by 8.3% and 6.8%), but entries for Spanish A-level are up by 1.4%. The overall number of entries for this summer's exams for both GCSEs and A-levels has decreased, according to the data published on Thursday. GCSE provisional entries have fallen by 0.6% from 5,811,595 in summer 2024 to 5,777,020 this summer. Meanwhile, A-level entries have decreased by 0.4% from 825,355 last summer to 821,875 this summer. The decrease for GCSE entries this summer is because of a drop in entries for subjects in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measure as well as non-EBacc subjects, England's exams regulator Ofqual said. The EBacc is a performance measure which aims to ensure pupils take English, maths, science, a humanities subject and a language at GCSE. GCSE entries for computing – an EBacc subject – have decreased by 4.7% on last year, while entries for history are down by 5.9% on last summer. In March, the interim report of the independent curriculum and assessment review said it will consider whether the EBacc remains 'effective'. The review suggested that the EBacc may 'constrain the choice of students' in school, and it could limit their access to vocational and arts subjects. The provisional figures also show GCSE entries for art and design subjects are down by 1.7% on last year, and GCSE entries for drama are down 1.5%. Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'The rising popularity of Spanish as a choice for GCSE probably reflects the fact that many young people may be more familiar with the Spanish language, because of the popularity of Spain, the Balearics and Canary Islands as holiday destinations, than they are with French and German. 'That then tends to be reinforced by what friends and siblings are studying. 'The growing popularity of Spanish is really good news as there has been a long-term decline in modern foreign languages, but we do need to do more at a national level to boost language learning more generally.' The top 10 most popular GCSEs based on entries is unchanged from last year, with combined science in first place follow by maths, English language, English literature, history, geography, religious studies, art & design, biology and chemistry. Outside the top 10, business studies has moved up from 14th place in 2024 to 13th this year, while PE has risen from 17th to 16th. French has dropped two places from 12th to 14th, with Spanish moving up from 13th to 12th. Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council, said: 'Spanish has grown in importance for the UK, both as a key global business language and through its popularity in tourism. 'It is now the second most widely spoken first language in the world. 'At the same time, we've seen a steady, if uneven, decline in the uptake of French and German, with German falling significantly year on year. 'Many pupils perceive Spanish as easier to learn and recognise its global reach and usefulness. 'While the rise of Spanish is encouraging, the decline in French and German is a real concern. 'These languages are spoken in the UK's two largest non-English-speaking trading partners and continue to be highly valued by employers.' Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'It is hard to know for sure why entries have dropped in certain subjects – there is always some variability year on year. 'But one possibility is that with recruitment challenges really biting in schools, some simply don't have the teachers they need to offer courses in certain subjects. 'Teacher recruitment targets were missed in computing, chemistry, physics and modern foreign languages in the last couple of years, and these are among the subjects which experienced a fall in entries. 'This underlines the need for the Government to address head on the fundamental causes of the recruitment and retention crisis gripping schools, which ultimately affects students as well as increasingly stretched leaders and teachers.'


Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I've discovered a unique pub with a real beach in central London – we sipped wine with our feet in the sand
Plus, the English pub where the beer garden is on the beach that people say feels 'more like Miami' DRINK IT IN I've discovered a unique pub with a real beach in central London – we sipped wine with our feet in the sand Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LIVING in central London can sometimes make you feel boxed-in - like there is no escape of either countryside or sea. And whilst this is one of the sacrifices you have to make when you live in the city, wouldn't it be ideal to find a spot in the city that gives you the feel of being by the sea? Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Founder's Arms is located on the Thames between The Tate and Blackfriars station Credit: Cyann Fielding 6 In addition to the beach below, there is an outdoor terrace Credit: cyann fielding 6 When the tide is out, the golden sand beach appears Credit: cyann fielding Well, after five years of living in the capital - I have finally found that spot. Between the Tate Modern and London Blackfriars Station, the Founder's Arms on the River Thames seems like an ordinary Fuller's pub. But when the sun is shining and the tide washes out, directly beneath the pub a sandy beach emerges. Now, I know you might be thinking that the Thames just has mud and probably an old tire. But when I say beach, I mean it - golden sand and all. Myself and fellow travel reporter, Alice Penwill grabbed a glass of wine and headed down to the beach. A medium glass of white cost me just over £7 - and for a lunchtime tipple, I would say it was a generous medium. The sitting in the beaming sunshine, watching a couple boats whizz by, Alice and I did feel like we were somewhere else. Whilst the water obviously doesn't looking inviting, we were sat on a beach in the city, with wine - all during our lunch break. Not many Londoners can say they have popped to the beach during the working day. Pub With A 'Floating' Beer Garden By The Beach The beach was also surprisingly clean, with only a few stones scattered across. A couple nearby visitors were investigating the beach - presumably mud-larking for treasures. But the most noticeable difference compare to the seaside on the coast? No screaming gulls. Despite not having an ice cream in my hand, I felt confident that if I did have one, it wouldn't have been snatched by an over-confident bird. The pub itself also has a nice seating area outside, that overlooks the Thames and across to St Paul's cathedral. 6 Alice (right) and I (left) nipped down to catch some sun and sand on a lunch break Credit: cyann fielding 6 From both the pub and the beach, you can see London's impressive skyline Credit: cyann fielding If the weather does take a turn for the worse, like it often does in the UK, there is also a bar inside and plenty of seating that looked comfy and cosy. Pooches are also welcome in the pub, thankfully. Make sure to head to to check when the tide is out, to ensure you get to enjoy the beach on your visit. In the mean time, there is another London pub that has a secret beach behind it. Plus, the English pub where the beer garden is on the beach that people say feels 'more like Miami'.