County Classics Motor Museum grew from the personal dream of a very ‘driven’ schoolboy: Pat Hawkins bought and sold his first car at the age of 11 and as he grew his businesses from nothing, built up a fine collection of cars and motorcycles alongside them.

When the historic County Stores – a department store owned and run by five generations of the same family since 1832 – closed in 2019 having failed to find any retail buyer, he saw a chance to bring his dream to reality.