I visited the museum in June this year whilst having a short break in the Lakes with my other half.
Unfortunately it rained most of the time (but hey I expect that now when I visit the Lakes!) so on one rainy day we drove up from Windermere to visit the Bond Museum in Keswick.
I must admit we did this originally because we thought it would pass a few hours and most importantly keep us dry!
I thought it would be a bit boring to be honest, but couldn’t come up with another plan so my other half won.
I can however report that I was pleasantly surprised and, shock horror, actually enjoyed the experience!
A Bit of Museum Background
The James Bond Museum is a relatively new attraction in Keswick, opening in April 2009.
The collection at the museum has been put together by James Bond fanatic, Peter Nelson.
There are over 28 cars in Peter’s collection, which he has accumulated over a period of 20 years.
Bit of trivia….Peter used to be a dentist!
What Can You Expect
You will see an array of cars, motorbikes, boats, space shuttles, battle tanks etc etc from the James Bond films. They even let us take photographs (maybe this is because we had the courtesy to ask first and didn’t just assume).
As you walk around the museum the sound tracks to various Bond films are played in the background, which I must admit does add to the whole experience and its kinda exciting!
My favourite car on display was the Aston Martin Vanquish V12, which appeared in Die Another Day. It’s smaller than it looks on film and I think I could park it with no problems….. maybe they’d swap it for my little fiesta! A girl can dream!
The Aston Martin Vanquish V12 that is on display at the museum is, what they call in the trade, the ‘star car’ meaning its the actual car that Pierce Brosnan is seen to be driving in the film and not the ‘stunt car’ (which gets battered by the stunt man!).
There’s a shop where you can pick up James Bond merchandise – some items reasonably prices, others more in the collectors field, but worth a look nonetheless.
There’s also a ‘Bond Cinema’ at the end of the museum tour where you can sit and watch the history of bond, stunts, special effects etc which is very good and this lasts approx 20 mins.
Opening Times
The James Bond Museum is open from 10am - 5pm 7 days a week.
Admission Fee
£6 for adults and £4 for children
Car Parking
On-site free parking and plenty of spaces.
Where is It?
It’s well sign posted once you get into Keswick, but for Sat Nav purposes…….The Bond Museum , Southey Hill Trading Estate, ( Behind Cumberland Pencil Museum ) Keswick, Cumbria CA12 5NR
Useful Links & Contact Info
Web: www.thebondmuseum.comTel: 01768 774044
Opinion
Despite my reservations, this was actually a good day out and I found it very interesting.
The staff were friendly and informative, which is always a plus when you visit these places.
Well worth popping in if you are ever up in the Lakes (and not just because its raining!).
Pictures of The Bond Museum, Keswick
As seen in Die Another Day .
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