One of Medway's most unique museums is hidden in a quiet corner of Rochester Airport. Park in the small car park at the end of a gravel track, cross a taxiway, and you’ll find The Garage Museum at the edge of the airport’s largest hanger.
When you look at reviews of the museum, one phrase comes up often: ‘An Aladdin’s cave’. Walking in, this seems apt, as so much has been packed in that it can be hard to know where to look first.
The museum is packed full of motoring ephemera. Old petrol pumps are probably the most prominent feature, but so much else is on display. Old petrol and oil cans, road signs, old maps, motoring board games and puzzles, and lots more that stretch the original brief. Some bicycles are dotted around, and a small number of rocking horses hang from the ceiling.
This might seem strange in a more traditional museum, but it’s clear this is far from it. The museum houses the personal collection of one man, Trevor Hoare, who has been collecting things he finds interesting for over 30 years now. It all started when he ended up possessing an old petrol pump destined for the scrap heap, and it’s fair to say that things have spiralled a bit since then.
Trevor worked in the motor trade for years, so perhaps his choice of collection isn’t too surprising. His enthusiasm for what he does is infectious, though. He has built a collection over decades, primarily by picking up what the rest of us would throw away. An oil bottle or an old petrol can might not seem particularly unique at the time, but Trevor sees his role as preserving what won’t be around in the future. He points toward some modern plastic oil bottles and notes, “One day, it will all be rare”.
This isn’t Trevor’s first attempt at creating the museum. He first opened up in the same building nearly a decade ago, but he quickly filled it and found it turning into an inaccessible store room. Following a forced temporary relocation while the airport underwent renovation work, he’s making a proper go of it this time.
Comments