A small bridge on the A5 at the border of Santon, on the Isle of Man, is the home of the Mooinjer Veggey, the little people, or fairies. A powerful superstition exists that someone who passes over the bridge without saying hello will suffer bad luck. Motorcycle racers have long taken the legend seriously, some even visiting the bridge immediately after landing on the island.
Peter Murray, proprietor of Murrays Motorcycle Museum, just down the road from the bridge, frequently greets visitors to the museum with a hearty smile and a handful of small fairy charms, given to guests and riders as a way to keep the little people happy and ensure the visitors have good luck while on the island.
Murray is a friendly man who loves to educate guests, telling them stories about riders and the motorcycles in his collection. The museum is a gathering place and a staple for TT fans, many of whom congregate over tea and coffee on benches and chairs in the museum’s entryway, entering as strangers and leaving as friends. Visits frequently become all-day affairs.
The museum’s history dates back to 1955, when Peter’s father, Charlie, at the urging of his friends, opened the bike shed at his Santon home for people to view his collection of motorcycles. Charlie was a natural collector. A radio and television repairman by trade, he collected antiques, memorabilia, and bikes as he traveled. Some of Peter’s favorite bikes in the collection are those he remembers bringing home with his father, including an ex-Hailwood Mondial and a vintage Triumph.
The collection moved to a converted chapel in Peel for five years in the 1960s and eventually to a large building at The Bungalow on the TT Mountain Course, where it remained for 36 years.
In 2006, Peter closed the museum, selling much of the collection but keeping some, returning them to a renewed shed in Santon. Peter didn’t intend to reopen a museum. “More and more people visited,” Peter says, “and it just happened.” Peter opened the shed regularly to visitors in 2008. As the years passed, items, including many modern and veteran bikes, have been added to appeal to all enthusiasts.
The museum can be overwhelming. Memorabilia covers the walls and even the beams and parts of the ceiling. Signatures of the museum’s many visitors can be seen on any remaining exposed surfaces. This is the charm of the museum. The history is told through the brilliant motorcycle collection and signed memorabilia, posters, newspaper articles, motorcycle parts, and period accessories. Interesting road bikes mix with classic superbikes and rare vintage machinery. Visitors can get close to the machines to look at the details, smell the metal and oil, and feel connected. One trip is rarely enough to take it all in.
The collection includes bikes from every continent and of all types. Off-road machines, scooters, racing bikes—all interests are displayed in galleries on two floors. Most importantly, photos of racers, helmets, leathers, and personal items give the visitor a better feel for the people who have made the racing and motorcycling community compelling.
Visitors can always go outside and speak to the museum’s resident donkeys if it all becomes too much.
Combining immersive displays and conversations with Peter and other visitors brings history alive in this magical place.
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