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British air museums
- Thread starter Whithead
- Start date
cordwangler
One of the Regulars
- Messages
- 187
- Location
- UK
Duxford. Douglas Bader links galore there.
45 mins from King's Cross to Cambridge by rail, then half hour by bus to Duxford.
It's a great day out.
Also, a pint in The Eagle. It's not what it was - it used to be a great locals' pub, plus some of the more well-behaved and non-hooray students, but like all of Cambridge it's now saturated with tourism - but worth a visit for the WW2 connection alone.
Plus Madingley, if you want to top-and-tail the story.
Cambridgeshire, along with the rest of eastern England, has loads of old airfields. Most abandoned now. Here are a couple of links I found just now:
http://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/page.php?PgID=314569&ClubID=460
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141927
45 mins from King's Cross to Cambridge by rail, then half hour by bus to Duxford.
It's a great day out.
Also, a pint in The Eagle. It's not what it was - it used to be a great locals' pub, plus some of the more well-behaved and non-hooray students, but like all of Cambridge it's now saturated with tourism - but worth a visit for the WW2 connection alone.
Plus Madingley, if you want to top-and-tail the story.
Cambridgeshire, along with the rest of eastern England, has loads of old airfields. Most abandoned now. Here are a couple of links I found just now:
http://www.rotary-ribi.org/clubs/page.php?PgID=314569&ClubID=460
http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141927
Last edited:
Two Types
I'll Lock Up
- Messages
- 5,456
- Location
- London, UK
Twinwoods - Glenn Miller Museum
http://www.twinwoodairfield.co.uk/index.html#Twinwood-Airfield-Home
This is an unusual one: it's at the airfield from which Glenn Miller took off from for his final flight. It's only been going for a few years and I have never visited it (although I did live one mile away for the first 18 years of my life, when the airfield buildings were just farm buildings).
The nearest train station is Bedford, which is 40 minutes from London. You would need to take a taxi from the station. I believe it has very limited opening hours.
http://www.twinwoodairfield.co.uk/index.html#Twinwood-Airfield-Home
This is an unusual one: it's at the airfield from which Glenn Miller took off from for his final flight. It's only been going for a few years and I have never visited it (although I did live one mile away for the first 18 years of my life, when the airfield buildings were just farm buildings).
The nearest train station is Bedford, which is 40 minutes from London. You would need to take a taxi from the station. I believe it has very limited opening hours.
DNO
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,815
- Location
- Toronto, Canada
The RAF museum in London was excellent. The Fleet Air Arm Museum is also worth a visit if you're wandering toward Yeovilton.
RegentSt1965
Familiar Face
- Messages
- 99
- Location
- London
The Mosquito Museum, north of London, is interesting to those who admire this special aircraft.( http://www.dehavillandmuseum.co.uk/museum_information.html )
Imperial war museum London is currently moving some flying exhibits to Duxford due to the commemoration of WWI. What WWII era exhibits may have been moved.
Duxford is best, lots of little villages around the area to explore, Saffron Waldon is nearby.
As previously stated there are a few airbases around that have exhibits in the old control towers. The 100th Bomb Group at Thorpe Abbots is very impressive, as is Framlingham(though not quite as). These have displays of jackets and momentoes and at Thorpe Abbots you can go up to the roof of the control tower.
Want to drive on a runway? Take the A140 to Norwich and look for Eye, another bomber base. The area is mostly industrial but head north and turn right into Castleton Way, you will see the entrance on the left. Back on the A140 a little further north and on the left are some untouched hard standings. You can almost hear the rumble of the big bombers, very atmospheric if you are into that sort of thing.
PS Take a sat nave or good ordinance survey map.
Unless some kind soul does it first I will post links to the museums
J
Duxford is best, lots of little villages around the area to explore, Saffron Waldon is nearby.
As previously stated there are a few airbases around that have exhibits in the old control towers. The 100th Bomb Group at Thorpe Abbots is very impressive, as is Framlingham(though not quite as). These have displays of jackets and momentoes and at Thorpe Abbots you can go up to the roof of the control tower.
Want to drive on a runway? Take the A140 to Norwich and look for Eye, another bomber base. The area is mostly industrial but head north and turn right into Castleton Way, you will see the entrance on the left. Back on the A140 a little further north and on the left are some untouched hard standings. You can almost hear the rumble of the big bombers, very atmospheric if you are into that sort of thing.
PS Take a sat nave or good ordinance survey map.
Unless some kind soul does it first I will post links to the museums
J
