Side of the Belfast hangar (geograph 5572909)

Aerospace Bristol is an

aerospace museum An aviation museum, air museum, or air and space museum is a museum exhibiting the history and cultural artifacts, artifacts of aviation. In addition to actual, replica or accurate reproduction aircraft, exhibits can include photographs, maps, P ...

Filton Filton is a town and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England, north of Bristol. Along with nearby Patchway and Bradley Stoke, Filton forms part of the Bristol urban area and has become an overflow settlement for the city. Filton Church ...

, to the north of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

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 ...

, U.K. The project is run by the Bristol Aero Collection Trust and houses a varied collection of exhibits, including

Concorde The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France an ...

''Alpha Foxtrot'', the final Concorde to be built and the last to fly.

The Museum

The museum is situated on

Filton Airfield Filton Airport or Filton Aerodrome was a private airport in Filton and Patchway, within South Gloucestershire, north of Bristol, England. Description The airfield was bounded by the A38 road to the east, and the former London to Avonmouth r ...

and the main exhibition is housed in a First World War

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

hangar, A second hanger from the same era is used as the workshop and storage area for items undergoing restoration. This building is also listed Grade II. with Concorde situated in a new, purpose-built hangar. The exhibition covers over 100 years of aviation history through two world wars, exploring the role of aircraft in these conflicts, through the drama and technological advances of the space race and on to the modern day.

The Concorde Trust, 2007 to 2012

The Concorde Trust was formed in 2007 and produced applications for support for a new museum that would house one Concorde.

History

2003

Concorde ''Alpha Foxtrot'' (G-BOAF) flew into Filton in November. She remained out in the open for 14 years until the construction of a dedicated exhibition building was completed.

2012 to 2014

In December 2012 the

Bristol Post The ''Bristol Post'' is a city/regional five-day-a-week (formerly appearing six days per week) newspaper covering news in the city of Bristol, including stories from the whole of Greater Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. It was ...

reported that BAE Systems, who were selling

for development, would be contributing the site, including the listed hangars, and £2.4 million in aid for a new museum for which other corporate sponsors and a Heritage Lottery grant would be sought. In 2014, the trust was awarded a grant of £4.7 million by the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

. Plans were begun for construction of a visitor centre, later named Aerospace Bristol and due to open in Summer 2017.

2016

On 26 May 2016, Aerospace Bristol held a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of the new Concorde hangar. On 15 September,

HRH The Princess Royal Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been sev ...

became the Patron of Aerospace Bristol for the next two years. On 13 October, she visited the site to attend a '

topping out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...

' ceremony celebrating a major milestone in the construction.

2017

7 February saw the move of Concorde ''Alpha Foxtrot'' into the new purpose-built hangar at Aerospace Bristol. On 8 March 2017, a

Sea Harrier The British Aerospace Sea Harrier is a naval short take-off and vertical landing/ vertical take-off and landing jet fighter, reconnaissance and attack aircraft. It is the second member of the Harrier family developed. It first entered servic ...

was delivered to the museum site, airlifted by an RAF Chinook, for display in the exhibition. On 16 August, the Red Arrows performed a flypast in Concorde formation whilst members of the public formed the shape of Concorde on the ground. On 17 October, Aerospace Bristol opened its doors to the public.

Exhibition

The collection contains over 8,000 artefacts. There are several Bristol-built aircraft, some original, some modern replicas, including Concorde ''Alpha Foxtrot'', a

Bristol Scout The Bristol Scout was a single-seat rotary-engined biplane originally designed as a racing aircraft. Like similar fast, light aircraft of the period it was used by the RNAS and the RFC as a " scout", or fast reconnaissance type. It was one o ...

, a Bristol Fighter and a

Bristol Bolingbroke The Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke is a maritime patrol aircraft and trainer used by the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Built by Fairchild-Canada, it was a license-built version of the Bristol Blenheim Mk IV bomber. De ...

, the Canadian built version of the

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

bomber, which is under restoration. There are examples of Bristol motor vehicles as well as many scale models. Also on display are a number of Bristol aircraft engines, from both the piston and jet eras. The exhibition is themed around seven eras of aviation, with a separate hangar that celebrates the story of Concorde and its local connection: *Era One: Pioneers 1903–1910 First Flights Featuring interactive exhibits and touch screen archive browsers. A major exhibit here is a flyable replica of a

Bristol Boxkite The Boxkite (officially the Bristol Biplane) was the first aircraft produced by the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company (later known as the Bristol Aeroplane Company). A pusher biplane based on the successful Farman III, it was one of the fi ...

, built for the film, '' Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines''. *Era Two: First World War & Beyond c.1914–1920 Shows the impact of World War I on Filton and features a Fighter and a Scout bi-plane. *Era Three: The Growth of Flight 1920s–1930s Represents a time of major innovation in aircraft design, including a replica

Bristol Babe The Bristol Babe was a British-built light single-seat biplane, intended for the private flyer and produced immediately after the First World War. Only two flew. Development The Bristol Babe was the creation of Frank Barnwell, a flying enthu ...

. *Era Four: World War II c.1935–1945 Depicts the impact of World War II on Filton and aviation. *Era Five: Bigger, Faster, Further 1945–1960 The huge Brabazon airliner is represented here by its wheels and nameplate, alongside the Britannia fuselage. The two objects represent the growing importance of passenger aircraft to the aviation industry. *Era Six: Ocean Floor to Outer Space 1960–1981 Represents Bristol stepping into the space age. Three objects mark the transition into this era: a satellite, a missile and a model of a supersonic aircraft. *Era Seven: Working across the world 1982-today Featuring a section of an A320 wing, the exhibit gives visitors an insight into the workings of today's aviation industry. *The Concorde Hangar Featuring Concorde ''Alpha Foxtrot''. Designed jointly in Bristol and Toulouse, and built in Bristol, she was the last Concorde to be built and the last to fly. Displayed alongside the aircraft is a

Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 The Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 was an Anglo-French turbojet with reheat (afterburners), which powered the supersonic airliner Concorde. It was initially a joint project between Bristol Siddeley Engines Limited (BSEL) and Snecma, derive ...

jet engine. *The Conservation in Action Workshop Located in another First World War hangar, can be visited to watch restoration work being carried out on future exhibits.

References

External links

* {{authority control 1988 establishments in England Collections of museums in the United Kingdom Museums in Bristol Aerospace museums in England Military aviation museums in England Filton