Sign up to FREE email alerts from SurreyLive - Surrey Advertiser Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A secondary school teacher has uncovered incredible photographs of the first British Grand Prix held at the Brooklands circuit in Weybridge in 1926.

Lee Turnbull, who lives in Devon, discovered the images in the Devon Air Ambulance charity shop just before Christmas.

He has collected old photographs for years and regularly visits charity shops, junk shops and auctions to see what he can "unearth".

He said: "To be honest, I did not know the extent of what I had bought. All I saw in the box was a few photographs of vintage motorcycles and a few cars in amongst people and dogs.

"It was only when I got home and started doing some research that I became very excited about my find.

"I am not sure on the exact number of photographs relating to Brooklands as I’m still researching them, but there are at least 60 and there could be as many as 100."

The Weybridge race track hosted the first two British Grands Prix - on August 7, 1926, and October 1, 1927 - with the 287-mile challenges lasting around four hours.

They were the only world championship Grands Prix held in the UK before the Second World War, although three non-championship Donington Grands Prix were held at the Derbyshire circuit in the late 1930s.

The photographs, which are not dated but are believed to be from the 1920s, show the Brooklands circuit, the cars, crowd, drivers, motorcycles, and pit stops.

Mr Turnbull described the drivers as "fearless and just ever so slightly crazy", and has managed to identify racing motorists Sir Malcolm Campbell, Sir Henry Segrave and Herbert le Vack.

He added: "I have collected old photographs for years and I'm very interested in the social history side of it.

"I write a blog called 'Adventures of the Unknown Photographer'. This celebrates unknown photographers who are taking photographs of everyday life and will stand as a testament of their endeavours which would otherwise be destined to be a lost memory."

Mr Turnbull is not sure who took the images, but believes they were taken by a 'Reg or Rex Brittain'. He explained that there was a letter card among the photographs with reference to him, and his name was written on the back of one.

Mr Turnbull has been in contact with Andrew Lewis, curator of the Brooklands Museum, who has helped him identify some of the photographs.

He said: "Obviously I had heard of Brooklands as it's the birthplace of British motoring racing, but before I acquired these photographs I didn't know a great deal of its history.

"However this is partly why I collect photographs as I like to research the people and places within them, so I can glimpse a small insight into the past."