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  Location within Gloucestershire | |
| Established | 17 October 2017 |
|---|---|
| Location | Filton, England |
| Coordinates | 51°31′23″N2°34′44″W / 51.523°N 2.579°W |
| Type | Aerospace museum |
| Website | aerospacebristol |
Aerospace Bristol is an aerospace museum at Filton, to the north of Bristol, England. The project is run by the Bristol Aero Collection Trust and houses a varied collection of exhibits, including Concorde Alpha Foxtrot, the final Concorde to be built and the last to fly. [1]
The museum is situated on Filton Airfield and the main exhibition is housed in a First World War Grade II listed hangar, [2] A second hangar from the same era, also Grade II listed, is used as the workshop and storage area for items undergoing restoration, [3] with Concorde exhibited in a new, purpose-built hangar. The exhibits cover 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 was formed in 2007 and produced applications for support for a new museum that would house one Concorde aircraft. [4] [5]
Concorde Alpha Foxtrot (G-BOAF) flew into Filton in November. [5] She remained out in the open for 14 years until the construction of a dedicated exhibition building was completed.
In December 2012 the Bristol Post reported that BAE Systems, who were selling Filton Airfield for development, would be contributing the site – including the listed hangars – and £2.4 million in funding, for a new museum for which other corporate sponsors and a Heritage Lottery Fund grant would be sought. [6] [7] [8]
In 2014, the trust was awarded a grant of £4.7 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Plans were begun for construction of a visitor centre, later named Aerospace Bristol and due to open in Summer 2017. [9] [10]
On 26 May 2016, Aerospace Bristol held a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start of construction of the new Concorde hangar. [11] On 15 September, Princess Anne became the Patron of Aerospace Bristol for the next two years. [12] On 13 October, she visited the site to attend a 'topping out' ceremony celebrating a major milestone in the construction. [13]
7 February saw the move of Concorde Alpha Foxtrot into the purpose-built hangar at Aerospace Bristol. [14] On 8 March 2017, a Sea Harrier 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.
In 2023, South Gloucestershire Council wrote off up to £315,900 of a 10-year £470,000 loan to the Bristol Aerospace Collection Trust, and made a £154,000 grant over four years to help restore the number of school visits, in what was termed a "rescue package" following the COVID-19 pandemic. [15]
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, a Bristol Fighter and a Bristol Bolingbroke, the Canadian built version of the Bristol Blenheim 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: [16]
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable aircraft produced by the company include the 'Boxkite', the Bristol Fighter, the Bulldog, the Blenheim, the Beaufighter, and the Britannia, and much of the preliminary work which led to Concorde was carried out by the company. In 1956 its major operations were split into Bristol Aircraft and Bristol Aero Engines. In 1959, Bristol Aircraft merged with several major British aircraft companies to form the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) and Bristol Aero Engines merged with Armstrong Siddeley to form Bristol Siddeley.
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