The Royal Daimler has been placed in a special protective “bag” for a short time while conservators are busy preparing objects to go on display in the Main Hall of the Musuem. Talking with Ainslie today, the team will be busy attaching the wings to a Percival Gull monoplane next week. The Gull is one of a number of large objects nominated to go into the redveloped Main Hall of the National Museum in October.
The team will be back to work on the Daimler in April. Meanwhile, the “Carcoon” will be keeping the Royal Daimler free of dust as it awaits its makeover.
The National Museum’s beautiful new magazine, the Museum, features a great article on the Royal Daimler. Did you know that it is estimated 75% of Australians came out to see the Queen during her 1954 Tour? That’s pulling power! The mag is available through our online shop and of course in the Museum’s onsite shop. Worth a look.
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Tagged magazine
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A little while ago, the Museum was lucky to acquire some archival material which sheds some more light on our Daimler’s early years. Thanks to a vigilant enthusiast who alerted me when it came on the market last year, we were able to get hold of the original file created by London coachbuilders Hooper and Company when they were building our Daimler in 1948. Even at first glance when the files landed on my desk, my suspicions were confirmed – creating such a masterpiece was no mean feat.
In contrast to the anonymous black 4WD used to whisk the Queen around Australia during her most recent visit, this unwieldy and attention-grabbing Daimler must seem rather a curious choice of royal transport. I can’t be sure why the Australian government of 1948 elected to go to the enormous expense and hassle of commissioning English cars to be shipped halfway across the world but I suspect it was intended as a strong gesture of imperial loyalty to British industry.
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We are delighted to report that over the last few days there have been some very generous donations for this campaign.
The funds raised to date now stand at $1,380. A big thank you to those that have donated. We will be sure to keep you updated when new donations are received.
Welcome to the National Museum of Australia’s Royal Daimler Project blog. We’ll keep you informed about the conservation progress of the Royal Daimler as we work towards having her fit for a queen again by 2014 – the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s 1954 visit to Australia. The first stage is getting the Daimler ready to display in the National Museum in Canberra by October 2012.
The Daimler in South Australia before it was acquired by the Museum in 2009.
Find out more about the Museum’s Daimler and the Royal tour on The Daimler’s history page.
We look forward to your questions, comments and suggestions. Enjoy the blog!
