A family in Kent have discovered a collection of 21 motorbikes that had been kept hidden for over seven decades. The bikes were only discovered after the collector’s death when the family found a file full of engine and registration numbers.

The motorbikes were found in the garage, the cellar and within two sheds. The owner had been collecting them since the 1940s and had even restored several.

But the family had no idea there was such a collection hidden away within the family home.

And now the classic motorbikes are set to bring in around £20,000 at auction. That’s because the owner made sure to wrap each bike very carefully, storing them properly to protect against any damage.

Within the collection was the elderly enthusiasts prized bike: a Velocette Vogue. Among the rest were six 1950s Autocycles used by district nurses.

His daughter said: “Dad was an incredibly interesting man – he’s still surprising us now.

“We couldn’t believe he had 21 of them. None of us, not even Mum, knew he had so many.

“We’d all been in and out of the garage so many times and yet five large bikes and four autocycles were concealed in there.”

The collection will go on sale at the National Motorcycle Museum in Solihull, West Mids, next month.