“The Avro Heritage Museum preserves the legacy of Alliott Verdon-Roe and his company A.V. Roe & Co (Avro). Located on the former Woodford Aerodrome near Stockport in Cheshire, the site saw the production of famous aircraft including the Lancaster, Vulcan, Nimrod and BAe 146.
The Avro Heritage Museum is packed with fascinating exhibits and is home to the only example of an all-white Vulcan bomber. There are many activities on offer and things to do to keep all ages entertained. The Museum has a café on site which offers light refreshments and fantastic views of the mighty Vulcan bomber as it stands proudly outside.
The Museum is entirely self-funded, relying on admission fees as its main source of income and staffed by passionate volunteers, many of whom worked at Chadderton and Woodford.”
(Extract from the website)
Opportunities & tours.
We arrived just after opening and booked on the tour of the Avro Vulcan one of the Cold War Bomber aircrafts. This plane has undergone restoration and is open to visitors to go inside and even has engine sounds that bring it to life.
We were able to enjoy a 50 minute immersive story telling experience with further knowledge of each of the individual types of kit used including radar / navigation. The ladder inside enabled a brilliant view of the cockpit as well as controls used at the time, due to the narrowness of the front section this is just a viewing platform for you to look across at the front but well worth the view. You can also walk around the outside and look at the size of the Bomb bay and fuel tank.
Inside the museum you are able to book to go inside the Lancaster Bomber, made years before which showcased each of the individuals roles the volunteers had during their allocated 30 + sorties they took part in.
We were able to see several other exhibits as well as a behind the scenes tour of the CAE building, homing several engines & planes including a Triplane.
There was another exciting immersive experience using a V.R headset, with the sound from a BBC broadcast as well as bringing to life the exact events of several real flight paths and experiences from the war.
The museum holds educational tours for youth and schools, volunteering placements and other community visits. This just showcases the importance of keeping this historical place alive by retelling real stories as well as the volunteers drawing from expertise in the field of aviation. An exciting, interesting and truly impressive collection and well worth a visit. The CAE building will be opening soon to the public as well as future events with more information on their website.
Find out more here : https://www.avroheritagemuseum.co.uk
