Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Gordon-Keeble - 1964 to 2024
Friday, 21 June, 2.00pm - Meet at the Hampshire Museum Reserve Vehicle Collection, Chilcomb Lane, Winchester, SO23 8RB at 2.00pm where, hopefully, we will have access to this site to see their Gordon-Keeble and the other vehicles they have in storage.
Friday night at New Place Hotel, High Street, Shirrell Heath, SO32 2JY (www.newplacehotel.co.uk). This hotel has a lovely setting and plenty of parking. Own arrangements for food that evening either in the hotel or outside at individuals own choice.
Saturday 22 June - Breakfast at the hotel, then at 10.00am a loose convoy for the approximately 50-minute drive picking up Jim Keeble’s fabled test route near Eastleigh over which he ran each car as far
as the outskirts of Winchester before breaking off to Sparsholt to visit Michael Culhane’s collection and his classic car business at Pitt Lane Ltd, Unit A, Watley Farm, Watley Lane, Sparsholt, Winchester, SO21 2FS (www.pittlane.co.uk). The rest of the day is then “at leisure” although the suggestion is to retire to a good local pub, The Plough Inn, Sparsholt, SO21 2NW (www.the.littlepubgroup.co.uk/the-plough-inn) for lunch for those who want it. Following this we will return to the hotel via the remainder of Jim Keeble’s test route back as far as possible towards Eastleigh before peeling off to go back to the hotel.
Our AGM will start at 5.00pm at the hotel.
Evening celebration drinks and a three-course meal will follow at 7.00pm for 7.30pm in a private dining room. Map details will be provided to everyone on Saturday morning. We will circulate a menu for this before the event to ensure all have time to select their meals so that they might be pre-ordered.
Sunday 23 June - Breakfast at the hotel, then on to The Victoria Railway at Netley Park, SO31 5GA for a 10.30am train ride and viewing of the engines (www.royalvictoriarailway.co.uk), then parking within the park, at the base of the Victorian Hospital Chapel, for "60th" photographs. We need a minimum of 16 cars for this photo opportunity from the top of the 135ft tall tower to the Chapel.
The cost for two nights’ accommodation, welcome drink, dinner on Saturday night, and breakfast on both days is £344.50 for a couple and £283.50 for a single room inclusive of gratuities and train ride.
If you haven't already booked in and paid your deposit, and if you agree this sounds like fun and wish to come along then could you, PLEASE let us know urgently as the hotel will only hold the rooms for a limited period. They will also only hold a limited number of rooms so “to avoid disappointment” please make contact ASAP via info@gordonkeeble.org.uk. We will need a deposit of £50 per person promptly, preferably by BACS to the club’s bank account.
If you wish to come along to just part of the adventure then please let us know via email to info@gordonkeeble.org.uk and we will work out revised costings. Please note we do need to know the numbers for each event as soon as possible. Even if you only plan to attend a single part, we are still happy to accommodate you. We also need to know if you will be attending in a Keeble.
We are having special Rally Plates made up for this event to celebrate the 60th year of the cars. All attending the full weekend will be presented with one (one plate for each couple) as part of their overall booking, and we will have a very limited number available at £8.00 plus postage to those unable to attend which will be offered on a first come first served basis. Once we have the final artwork, we will look to have this added to our website for all to see.
I would like to know more about this weekend please. I knew Jim Keeble in the 1980s when I was living in Portsmouth.
Hi Brenda – I see Roy has sent you an email with more details to follow next week.
Same weekend as the IOW Festival; a brave choice, Good Sirs!!