New audiovisual exhibition room highlighting forgotten personal stories opening at Greenham Control Tower

Greenham Control Tower is opening a new digital exhibition room to make the site’s rich heritage accessible to everyone.

Its ‘Common Stories Room’ will be unveiled on at 11am on Tuesday, April 8, to coincide with the 25th anniversary celebrations of Greenham Common’s return to public use.

The anniversary also marks 25 years since the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust took over the management of the common.

The new space, located on the ground floor, features four themed areas with audio and visual prompts, giving visitors an idea of what to expect on the exhibition floor above.

The facility shares numerous personal and social history stories, from pre-Roman times to the present day.

Most people are familiar with the common’s military activity and peace protests which drew international attention.

But one the new facility’s first ‘Common Stories’, entitled ‘Seven Days on Greenham Common’, focuses on the forgotten story of world speed record breaking at the common, recently uncovered by one of its volunteers.

Sir Richard Noble achieved two British speed records on Greenham Common in Thrust2 – a jet-powered car – in 1980.

But 14 years earlier, another man set 11 world speed records and 16 British speed records on his self-built motorcycles on the same runway.

Volunteers are pleased to exhibit the world record-breaking achievements of George Brown, known as ‘the father of sprint motorcycling’.

His personal memoirs have been provided by his son Tony Brown and one of the original members of the 1966 multiple record-breaking team.

Tony Brown himself was a six times world speed record holder.

He will be welcomed as the guest of honour for the opening ceremony of the new room.

Greenham Control Tower is a charity largely run and managed by volunteers and funded through donations.

The 1950s building was refurbished and opened to the public in 2018.