This page details all the memorials to Mike Hawthorn that we are aware of. Note that a memorial, for the purposes of this page, is also any location that intentionally carries photos or other memories of Mike.

We have a section with details of Mike's Funeral.

Additionally, there is a lot of Media that is worth reading/watching and also Memorabilia if you are a collector. Much of the latter is very rare though and often a 'one-off'. We also have a selection of Quotes relevant to Mike.

Mike is buried in West Street Municipal Cemetery in Farnham, Surrey where he lived. The grave receives regular visits each year from fans on the anniversary of his death and a few pints are downed in his memory at the local pub.

New! Photos of tributes at his grave on 22nd January 2008

Here is the headstone in early 2002



The grave and headstone were 'adopted' and restored by the owners of 'Hawthorns', the sports car dealership, when they first occupied the old Tourist Trophy Garage premises in 1994. Later, we think around 2004, the lettering/wreath/central car had the dark highlights added. Flowers are renewed regularly on the grave as befits our World Champion.

Here are a series of photos taken in 2007 on a wet day...



Above, we temporarily removed the flowers (with apologies) so you can see the complete headstone

And below is the close by grave of Leslie Hawthorn, Mike's father who was killed in 1954 in another road accident not dissimilar to Mike's

We have more information on Mike's Grave together with Google Earth views of its location.

There is a road in Farnham named after him, 'Mike Hawthorn Drive' (off Dogflud Way).

There should be one, local council resolved to put one up in 2004 but it seems elusive...

There is a wall mounted display (about a dozen framed items) of Hawthorn memorabilia in the 'Hawthorns' sports car dealership now located near to Farnham railway station - they originally occupied the Tourist Trophy Garage premises in East Street from 1993. Amongst this is the front page of the following day's newspaper with an image (taken from the air) of the crash site and surrounding roads.

This is verbatim quoted from the BRDC Bulletin of Feb/March 2000 on p10.

Whether this project is still current is unknown but this seems unlikely after eight years.

THE FARNHAM PUBLIC ART TRUST
As you will know, Farnham was the home of Mike Hawthorn, and the Farnham Public Art Trust’s Millennium Project is a unique free-standing clock sculpture which will feature Mike Hawthorn and other famous personalities when the clock strikes.

The trust has already raised half of the funds required, and some Members may wish to contribute to this important community project.

If you would like to contribute please contact Bryan Sell at : ‘Consiton’, 1 The Hart, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7HA. Telephone 01252 714011

The Ball and Wicket, a pub opposite the cricket field, in Upper Hale Road, Farnham also houses the Farnham Brewery - and this produces a Mike Hawthorn ale! This started production just before Christmas in 2006 - Mike used to frequent the Ball & Wicket (known locally as the Ball and Socket) on a regular basis.

The brewery was founded back in 1994 when it was named the Hale and Hearty Brewery, producing beers for consumption across the Farnham area. When the pub was sold back in 2000, the brewery fell into disuse and with the new owners struggling financially, Gary Wallace purchased the pub back again and took on the task of winning back his disgruntled public.

His Mike Hawthorn beer is strong at 5.3%. It is also pale in colour as was Mike. The pump handle has a clip-on label with a colour picture of Mike in a Grand Prix Ferrari 246, heading straight for the drinker!


Anyone thinking of making the pilgrimage to Farnham's only brew pub can expect to find the three staple beers — Bishop Sumner at 3.8%, William Cobbett at 4.3% and the stronger (of course) Mike Hawthorn at 5.3%.

This beer can be made available in 20 litre Poly Pins if wanted in either normal or bright — so contact Gary at the brewery if you are having a celebration.

In South Street, Farnham, on the wall of Sainsburys facing the road, there is a section dedicated to 'A celebration of Farnham's Famous Sons'.

This has some wall mounted baskets and underneath these are eight plaques engraved with brief details of the people celebrated here. They are William Cobbet, Graham Paul Thorpe, The Carpenters of the Great Roof of Westminster Hall, William “Silver Billy“ Pelham, Sir Peter Pears, Augustus Montague Toplady, George Sturt and, of course, Mike Hawthorn.

It's a shame though that no one had bothered to water the baskets in the recent hot weather when the photograph above was taken.

A plaque commemorating Mike was erected in his home town of Mexborough in December 2006. We have a page dedicated to the Mexborough Plaque.

There is a very large bronze memorial erected to Mike Hawthorn and Lofty England at the Goodwood Race Circuit in West Sussex, UK.

The memorial statue was unveiled in 2005 at the Goodwood Revival and dedication speeches were made by Lord March and other people associated with the project!


The Memorial Statue at Goodwood: it faces the race pits area

For a more comprehensive account of the unveiling and to find out how the sculpture was created, visit our Mike Hawthorn and Lofty England Sculpture page.
Pic: Tony Bailey

Willmer House 38 West Street, Farnham Surrey GU9 7DX

On the first floor is a room that traces the development of Farnham along the old road from London to Winchester. And of course, a display recording the career of Farnham resident, Mike Hawthorn.


We're not sure what Mike would have made of the Traffic Warden though....

From sheffieldtoday.net

MOTOR racing legend Stirling Moss has called for a lasting memorial to one of South Yorkshire's greatest sporting heroes.

Sir Stirling is backing a campaign by Mexborough and District Heritage Society to honour Mike Hawthorn, who became Britain's first Formula One World Champion in 1958.

He said: "I think that anything that continues his name is a great thing because he was certainly the first world champion we had. All I can say is that he certainly deserves it, he deserves to be remembered."

Campaigners want a statue in the centre of Mexborough, where Mike was born in 1929. The voice of motorsport, Murray Walker, reckons that's the least he deserves. He said: "He was a very outstanding personality but it was at a time when motor racing wasn't nearly as popular as it is now.

"He made a great impact on the sport and I would certainly like to see him commemorated. You don't get to be world champion without being extremely good and he was up against Juan Manuel Fangio, who in my opinion was the greatest world champion that ever lived."

Addenda: A plaque has now been unveiled (16th Dec 2006) but not by Sir Stirling Moss who apparently wanted money to do this. Jean Ireland (nee Howarth, Mike's fiancee in 1959) together with a number of other Jaguar enthusiasts offered their services for free. Read full details HERE.

This Sports Pavilion in Farnham Park is dedicated to Mike Hawthorn. Unfortunately, in November 2006 it looked like this:




October 2007 - we've just had a note from Redhill Roofing that they will be re-roofing the pavilion in the near future! Good news as the current state of the place is just appalling considering who it's meant to commemorate...

April 2008 - the reroof has now been completed!


All's we need back now is the original wooden canopy structure with Mike's name engraved over the top replaced so that people actually know who the structure is dedicated to. Waverley Council have been asked but no response has been received.

The structure is visible in the photo below, taken during the opening ceremony.

A proposed office development from Farnham Estates Limited is to be dedicated to the memory of Mike Hawthorn.

Mike's Tourist Trophy Garage business, which adjoins the proposed (2003) development site in East Street, is now owned by Haworth King's clients Farnham Estates Limited who are the developers for this £8 million project.

A detailed Town Planning Application was submitted to Waverley Borough Council in December 2003

In January 1999, The Surrey Advertiser reported that Mike Hawthorn would be remembered at a tree-planting ceremony on Friday, January 22ndf starting 10:30am. This would be 40 years to the day after Mike was killed in a high-speed accident on the A3 at Guildford — he was on his way to London to collect yet another award when his 3.4-litre Jaguar left the road at Stag Hill.

The Mayor of Guildford, Keith Childs, would lay a wreath and plant a Hawthorn tree in the borough council's arboretum in Manor Way, Onslow Village, just a few yards from the spot where the sporting hero lost his life. Members of the public were welcome to attend the ceremony.

On the day, the Surrey Advertiser covered the ceremony:


“It was a filthy morning on Friday, not unlike that of 40 years ago.

“Then, in wet and windy weather and poor light, the world motor racing champion Mike Hawthorn met a violent end in a high-speed crash on the Guildford bypass. Now, four decades on in fog thick enough to make visibility difficult, an assembly of 70 former friends and associates, together with younger men and women, who had their own reasons for being present, gathered to dedicate a Hawthorn tree to the memory of the sporting hero everyone knew as the Farnham Flyer.

“Hawthorn died when his high-powered 3.4-litre Jaguar left the road after a 100-yard skid, and crashed heavily into a tree,

“The ceremony on Friday was enacted in the arboretum off Manor Way, Onslow Village, at a spot close to the crash scene.

“The Mayor of Guildford, Keith Childs, planted the tree and laid a wreath. Further wreaths were laid by the Deputy Mayor of Waverley, Chris Slyfield, and by Tony Brooks, a grand prix contemporary of Hawthorn, on behalf of the British Racing Drivers' Club.

“The vicar of All Saints, Onslow Village, the Rev Brian Coleman led prayers.

“Later, wreaths were laid at Hawthorn's grave in Farnham cemetery by the Mayor of Waverley, John Savage, the Mayoress, Celia Savage, "on behalf of the ladies", Mr Brooks and a representative of Hawthorns, the Farnham garage which now occupies the premises once known as the Tourist Trophy Garage and owned by Mike Hawthorn.”

Unfortunately, both the tree and the plaque seem to have vanished by 2008, despite intensive searches, although efforts are still being to made to locate either or both.

This small collection of articles about Mike is on the wall of the Barley Mow at Tilford in a small corridor outside the Gents. This was one of Mike's favourite places and he was often there with many of his friends. Make sure you visit here if you are in the Farnham area. It was also the location where Mike unfortunately ran over his boxer dog, Grogger