This small museum is dedicated to the aircraft industry which, until early 2010s, constructed and maintained mainly military aircraft on site. Anyone from the area will probably remember the airshows which took place each summer.
Upon arrival we were shown to the small cafe upstairs where we were provided with a hot drink, the cafe walls are adorned by photographs of all the many Vulcan bombers in their different liveries.
AVRO was a British Airplane manufacturer started by Alliot Verdon Roe in Manchester. Around the walls is a timeline detailing all the planes developed by AVRO starting with the first plane in 1909 through acquisition by Crossley Motors, being sold to Armstrong Siddeley (later Hawker Siddeley) and finally to aircraft built by British Aerospace later BAE ending in 2010. AVRO moved to Woodford in 1924 and saw the construction of many different aircraft, too many to name, but chiefly amongst those many would recognise; the Lancaster bomber, developed at short notice in 1943 by the designer Roy Chadwick by lengthening the wings of his Manchester bomber and the inclusion of 4 Rolls Royce Merlin Engines. Sections of each aircraft would be moved through the local streets and constructed at Woodford. By 1945 5-6 planes could be produced per day.
Following the end of the War came the Shackleton followed by the mammoth Vulcan delta winged bomber. On the outbreak of the Falkland war in 1982, Woodford played its part by modifying aircraft to be able to refuel midflight.
The last major aircraft was the Nimrod which was primarily used for anti-submarine reconnaissance. Discontinued in 2010 it was perhaps the best maritime aircraft produced.
The many display cabinets contained models of the various planes constructed here and a history of the different airfields around the North West.
We had the opportunity to visit the cockpit of a Vulcan bomber, our guide gave insights into the life of the crew during the cold war of the 1960s when they would be sent out, armed with nuclear weapons in readiness to deploy if the call came. If necessary calls could be made to the British Prime Minister & even the US President whilst in flight.
The cockpit of the Lancaster bomber was next on the list to enter, it must have been difficult to clamber into positions in a hurry dressed in full flying suits. Certainly scrambling down to the position of the bomb aimer or front gunner is no easy task.
The final visit was that of the Nimrod cockpit which was certainly spacious compared to the previous two planes, but had a larger crew. Using a genuine Nimrod Tactical Navigator Station, visitors can hunt for the enemy by replicating dropping sonobuoys into the ocean and listen for the sounds of submerged submarines.
This little museum won an award recently as a hidden gem and is certainly worth a future visit.
