The Atwell Wilson Motor Museum Trust is privileged to have Chris Serle as our President.

Chris has had a successful career for many years as one of the Nation’s favourite broadcasters.

Chris has starred in many popular TV shows, including:

• That’s Life
• In At The Deep End
• Windmill
• Friday Now
• Dave Allen at Large
• Monkey Business

As well as appearing regularly on TV, Chris also features on many local and national radio stations.

Chris has a keen interest in classic cars and is seen pictured below with his own Model “T” Ford (1913 Trafford Park Tourer). Click on the images for a larger version:

Chris Supported the Museum at the Heddington Steam Fair on 2 July 2005, he can be seen pictured below with the Austin Sheerline form the Museum collection. Thanks to Michael Bennett for the photographs.

Chris also supported the Museum at the Classic Car Show at the NEC on 6 November 2005, he can be seen pictured below on the Museum stand. Click on the image to see a larger version.

Chris and Ali supported the Museum at the London Classic Car and Bike Show on Saturday 19 March 2006. Click on the image to see a larger version of our team.

Chris is currently working with the Board of Trustees and Richard & Hasell, our founders, to improve the Atwell Wilson Motor Museum.

We are very grateful for Chris’ contribution.

A word from our President:

“I remember vividly my first visit to the Atwell Wilson Museum back in the early 1990s. My children will cheerfully remind me that’s the last century, but it doesn’t mean I’m a sad old git, thank you very much. I was weary of a regular trip on the M4 and took a detour on to the more peaceful A4. Behold, in Calne, a brown sign with an old car on it. I love car museums and I had an hour to spare so I followed the sign and found myself in a pleasant suburban road, Stockley Lane, surely not museum territory at all.

There was the bungalow, definitely not museum territory. But tucked in behind it, if tuck is what you do to an industrial building, was a treasure store of classic cars. I paid my admission charge and wandered freely among the giant V8s of the Chrome Era, the respectable Rollses and Daimlers, the surprising cheap family runabouts, the petrol signs, the fuel cans and all the bits and pieces that told me the owners were passionate members of the Motoring Magpie Tendency. Quite a few cars wore ribbons and flowers so there was clearly a flourishing wedding hire business. The building was full to overflowing and the amount of shuffling that must have gone on if the bride-to-be said she’d like the one in the far corner was a fascinating prospect. It still wasn’t exactly museum territory but equally clearly most of the exhibits in the collection were in good running order and properly cherished. It was a very happy hour of browsing for me.

As I worked my way towards the exit a charming woman intercepted me. This was the redoubtable co-founder of the collection Hasell Atwell (nee Wilson). Anyone who’s met Hasell won’t be surprised that I wasn’t allowed to leave without enjoying a cup of tea and some cake seated at a set of garden furniture among the cars. Find me another museum where you get treatment like that!

I got to know Richard and Hasell and learned of their enthusiasm and the fact that pretty well every item in the place has a fascinating local story attached to it. We filmed them and some of the cars for “Out and About” which I was presenting for the BBC at that time. Later they came in as guests on my afternoon show at Radio Bristol.

Later still I was presented in my best suit to the Trustees and received the honour of being elected President. Since then there have been plenty of super events at the museum to which I’ve taken various of my collection of old cars (does 3 count as a collection?) and enjoyed hearing more of Richard’s stories about theirs. There’s been plenty of tea and cakes as well.

I’m proud of my association with the Atwell Wilson Motor Museum. It’s changing all the time. The Trust is working hard towards making it into a fully recognised museum and a significant destination for visitors to Wiltshire. Stockley Lane is very much museum territory after all.”