![2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/2.DH.60_Hermes_Moth.jpg)
The Shuttleworth Collection is a working aeronautical and automotive collection located at the
Old Warden Aerodrome
Old Warden Aerodrome is located east southeast of Bedford, in Bedfordshire, England. The privately owned aerodrome serves The Shuttleworth Collection
The Shuttleworth Collection is a working aeronautical and automotive collection located ...
,
Old Warden
Old Warden is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about south-east of the county town of Bedford.
The 2011 census shows its population as 328.
The ...
in
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It is the oldest in the world and one of the most prestigious, due to the variety of old and well-preserved aircraft.
History
The collection was founded in 1928 by aviator
Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth
Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth (16 July 1909 – 2 August 1940) was a racing motorist, aviator and prolific collector of veteran cars and aircraft. His collection forms the nucleus of the Shuttleworth Collection. He was killed in an air crash ...
. While flying a
Fairey Battle
The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Hi ...
at night on 2 August 1940, Shuttleworth fatally crashed. His mother, in 1944, formed the Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth Remembrance Trust "for the teaching of the science and practice of aviation and of afforestation and agriculture."
Collection
![SpitfireAR501](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/SpitfireAR501.JPG)
Restoration and maintenance work is carried out by a staff of 12 full-time and many volunteer engineers. These volunteers are all members of the 3,000-strong Shuttleworth Veteran Aeroplane Society (SVAS). These dedicated enthusiasts are crucial to the preservation and restoration of the collection.
In addition to the aircraft, the collection houses a number of vintage and veteran cars. Events include model-flying days, and once a year, there is a special flying day for schools in the area.
The Shuttleworth Collection puts an emphasis on restoring as many aircraft as possible to flying condition, in line with the founder's original intention. There are typically about ten air shows per year, including evening displays and an annual Flying Proms event, which offer the opportunity to see aircraft which in many cases are the last of their type to survive, let alone existing in flyable condition.
The Edwardian flying machines
Some of the most notable aircraft in the collection are the five
Edwardian
The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...
aeroplanes, of which one is the oldest
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
aeroplane still in flying condition. What makes these exceptional is that they still fly (weather permitting). The oldest, with British civil registration G-AANG, is the
Bleriot XI (still with original engine), which dates back to 1909; six years after the
Wright brothers' aircraft and the world's oldest airworthy aeroplane, the next oldest being, at only three weeks newer by date of manufacture, the
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a living museum in Rhinebeck, New York. It owns many examples of airworthy aircraft of the Pioneer Era, World War I and the Golden Age of Aviation between the World Wars, and multiple examples of roadworthy antiqu ...
's own restored original Bleriot XI (Bleriot factory serial number 56, with civil registration N60094) in the United States.
Aircraft in the collection
*Data from
[Ellis 2004, pp. 12-14.]
Also resident, but privately owned:
Avro Anson (BAE Systems)
*
Miles M14a Hawk Trainer N3788 G-AKPF
*
Westland Wallace
The Westland Wallace was a British two-seat, general-purpose biplane of the Royal Air Force, developed by Westland as a follow-on to their successful Wapiti. As the last of the interwar general purpose biplanes, it was used by a number of frontl ...
replica fuselage
*
De Havilland DH89A Rapide G-AGSH painted as British European Airways
* Sopwith Dove G-EAGA
Vehicles in the collection
![DH](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/DH.88_Comet_Racer_2010.jpg)
* 1898
Panhard et Levassor
Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed b ...
* 1899
Mors Petit Duc
* 1899
Benz International dogcart
* 1900 Marot Gardan
* 1901
Locomobile Steam Car
* 1901
Arrol-Johnston
Arrol-Johnston (later known as Arrol-Aster) was an early Scottish manufacturer of automobiles, which operated from 1895 to 1931 and produced the first automobile manufactured in Britain. The company also developed the world's first "off-road" ve ...
* 1902 Baby
Peugeot
Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis.
The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and the ...
* 1903
Richard-Brasier
* 1903 De Dietrich
* 1912
Crossley
Crossley, based in Manchester, United Kingdom, was a pioneering company in the production of internal combustion engines. Since 1988 it has been part of the Rolls-Royce Power Engineering group.
More than 100,000 Crossley oil and gas engines ...
15
* 1912
Wolseley M5
* 1913
Morris
Morris may refer to:
Places
Australia
*St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia
Canada
* Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry
* Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba
** Morris, Manitob ...
Oxford
* 1920
Hucks starter
A Hucks starter is an auxiliary power unit, almost always a lorry or truck, that provides initial power to start up piston aircraft engines. Invented by Royal Flying Corps Captain Bentfield Hucks, for whom it is named, the device served as a m ...
* 1923 Leyland SG7 bus
* 1926
Jowett Short-chassis tourer
* 1931
Austin
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
16 hp "Burnham"
* 1935
Austin Seven
* 1937
Railton
* 1937
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...
Topolino
* 1937
MG TA
* 1939
Hillman
Hillman was a British automobile marque created by the Hillman-Coatalen Company, founded in 1907, renamed the Hillman Motor Car Company in 1910. The company was based in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, near Coventry, England. Before 1907 the company had b ...
Minx RAF Staff Car
* 1943
Fordson
Fordson was a brand name of tractors and trucks. It was used on a range of mass-produced general-purpose tractors manufactured by Henry Ford & Son Inc from 1917 to 1920, by Ford Motor Company (U.S.) and Ford Motor Company Ltd (U.K.) from 1920 to ...
WOT 2H
* 1900
Singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
Motor Wheel Motorcycle
* 1904 Aurora Motorcycle
* 1921
Scott Squirrel
Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
Combination
* 1923
Triumph
The Roman triumph (Latin triumphus) was a celebration for a victorious military commander in ancient Rome. For later imitations, in life or in art, see Trionfo. Numerous later uses of the term, up to the present, are derived directly or indirectl ...
SD Motorcycle
* 1927
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
14 Motorcycle
* 1929
Ariel
Ariel may refer to:
Film and television
*Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award
* ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki
* ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...
Motorcycle
* 1938
Rudge Motorcycle
* 1940
BSA M20
The BSA M20 was a British motorcycle made by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) at their factory in Small Heath, Birmingham. Although initially viewed as a near failure by the War Office in 1936, the M20 evolved into one of the longest servin ...
Motorcycle
* 1950 Philips Cyclemaster
* 1952 Brockhouse Corgi Scooter
* 1955
BSA A7
The BSA A7 was a 500cc motorcycle model range made by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) at their factory in Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham. The range was launched in 1946 using a long stroke engine. An improved version based on the ...
Motorcycle
* 1955
New Hudson Motorcycle
* 1960
Norton ES2
The Norton ES2 is a Norton motorcycle produced from 1927 until 1964. From 1965, a different machine was produced for a short time by parent manufacturer AMC, based on a Matchless but badged as Norton ES2 Mk2.
Development
It was a long stro ...
Motorcycle
There is also a collection of
tractor
A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most common ...
s.
See also
*
Shuttleworth College (Bedfordshire)
Shuttleworth College is a further education college in the village of Old Warden in Bedfordshire, England. The college is part of Bedford College, and mainly offers courses and training related to agriculture and the natural environment.
Hi ...
;Other large collections of flying historic aircraft
*
Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group usually comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane. The aircraft are regularly seen at events c ...
, at RAF Coningsby, United Kingdom
*
Cole Palen
Cole Palen (December 28, 1925 – December 8, 1993) was the founder of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, a living museum of vintage aircraft from 1900-1937 located in Red Hook, New York. Palen's aerodrome boasts one of the finest collections of an ...
's
Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome
The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is a living museum in Rhinebeck, New York. It owns many examples of airworthy aircraft of the Pioneer Era, World War I and the Golden Age of Aviation between the World Wars, and multiple examples of roadworthy antiqu ...
, directly inspired by the Shuttleworth collection, located in
Red Hook and
Rhinebeck, New York.
*
Royal Navy Historic Flight
The Royal Navy Historic Flight (RNHF) was the historic flight of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy up until its disbandment in March 2019. The RNHF maintained and flew a small number of aircraft that were important to British Naval aviation. ...
, at RNAS Yeovilton, United Kingdom
*
Commemorative Air Force
The Commemorative Air Force (CAF), formerly known as the Confederate Air Force, is an American non-profit organization based in Dallas, Texas, that preserves and shows historical aircraft at airshows, primarily in the U.S. and Canada.
The CAF h ...
, in Midland, Texas
*
Fantasy of Flight
Fantasy of Flight is an aviation museum in Polk City, Florida.
It opened in November 1995, to house Kermit Weeks' collection of aircraft that, until Hurricane Andrew damaged many in 1992, were housed at the Weeks Air Museum in Tamiami, Florid ...
, in Polk City, Florida
*
The Fighter Collection
The Fighter Collection is a private operator of airworthy vintage military aircraft or warbirds. It is based in the United Kingdom at Duxford Aerodrome in Cambridgeshire, an airfield that is owned by the Imperial War Museum and is also the site ...
, at Duxford Aerodrome, United Kingdom
* Champlin Fighter Collection at the Seattle
Museum of Flight
The Museum of Flight is a private non-profit air and space museum in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is located at the southern end of King County International Airport (Boeing Field) in the city of Tukwila, immediately south of Seattle.< ...
(formerly housed at Mesa, Arizona)
*
Lone Star Flight Museum
The Lone Star Flight Museum, located in Houston, Texas, is an aerospace museum that displays more than 24 historically significant aircraft, and many artifacts related to the history of flight. The museum's collection is rare because most of ...
, in Galveston, Texas
*
Yankee Air Museum
The Yankee Air Museum is an aviation museum located at Willow Run Airport in Van Buren Township, Michigan. The museum has a small fleet of flying aircraft and a collection of static display aircraft outdoors.
History
The Yankee Air Force Inc. w ...
, in Ypsilanti, Michigan
*
Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum
The Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum, located at Creve Coeur Airport in Maryland Heights, Missouri, United States, is dedicated to restoring and preserving historical aircraft. The airplanes in the collection are all fabric-covered, and most ...
, in St Louis, Missouri
*
Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum
The Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the display and preservation of rare military aircraft, tanks and other military equipment. The plan is for the museum to reopen in 2023.
On rotation in t ...
, at Paine Field, Everett, Washington
Notes
Bibliography
* Ellis, Ken. ''Wrecks and Relics - 19th Edition'', Midland Publishing, Hinckley, Leicestershire. 2004. .
* Guttery, T.E. ''The Shuttleworth Collection''. London: Wm. Carling & Co, 1969. .
* Ogilvy, David. ''The Shuttleworth Collection''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1989 (revised edition 1994). .
* Ogilvy, David. ''Shuttleworth - The Historic Aeroplanes''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 1989 .
External links
Official site*
{{Coord, 52, 05, 22, N, 00, 19, 21, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title
Aerospace museums in England
Museums in Bedfordshire
Automobile museums in England