Head to Cambridgeshire for an absolutely barnstorming museum.
So you thought London’s Imperial War Museum was big? You should see its sibling up in Cambridgeshire. IWM Duxford covers 150 acres, features a live runway and stows away some very important aircraft. I’ve rarely been so impressed with a museum.
The star exhibit is a Concorde. An actual, genuine Concorde, which you can actually, genuinely walk all the way through. It’s a real privilege for those of us who were either too young or not posh enough to have experienced the bird in active service.
A concorde at IWM duxford
Concorde. You can walk right through it and pose beside the cockpit.
Its presence in a ‘war museum’ conjures up all kinds of alt.realty images of the pointy-nosed passenger jet making attack dives on an unsuspecting military base. The rationale for its presence here comes from the development phase. Before Concorde, only military planes had travelled faster than sound, so much of the early work was carried out by military personnel. The test article on show at Duxford flew higher and faster than any other Concorde, so it really is something special.
The same hanger houses any number of further wonders. A Vulcan nuclear bomber sits nearby, while a Victor gets a room to itself. Sticking with the ‘Vs’, another corner contains the Virgin Atlantic Flyer, the small capsule in which Richard Branson crossed the Atlantic by balloon (again, not particularly ‘war’, but hey).
Harrier jumpjet at Duxford
A harrier jumpjet is another highlight
You could spend a day in this one giant hanger, but much more awaits outside. The museum is built alongside a working airstrip, and you’re likely to see dozens of light aircraft take off and land during your day out. Visit on a special flying weekend (summer months only), and you can watch Spitfires, Hurricanes and other vintage aircraft take to the skies. You can even go up in one yourself, if you have very deep pockets.
A biplane flies over Duxford
The site contains half a dozen other buildings to explore. This includes the American Air Museum, housed inside a Norman Foster-designed hanger that won the 1998 Stirling Prize for architecture. Its contents could again fill many hours if you’re into American aircraft or, indeed, the Apple TV show Masters of the Year, which is heavily trailed around the museum. The highlight is the B-52 Stratofortress, which dominates the room.
American Air Museum in Duxford
The Stirling-Prize-winning American Air Museum
It’s not all big-rooms-full-of-flying-machines. At the far end of the site, when most visitors are flagging, is a compellingly put together exhibition on land war. It’s stocked with tanks and rubble and jeeps and stuff. Meanwhile, almost hidden away behind the hangers, you’ll find a series of small buildings which tell the story of RAF Duxford during the two world wars.
The final word must go to the playground, which is among the best I’ve ever encountered in my nine year career as a dad. It’s so good that it gets problematic. The kids would stay here all day, given the chance, while mum and dad are chomping at the bit to see the historic stuff. It’s a bouncing bomb of a cliché, but there really is something for everyone at Duxford.
Richard Branson’s transatlantic capsule.
IWM Duxford is within an hour’s drive of much of north London. It’s a short taxi ride from Cambridge or Royston stations, and buses go from Cambridge on Sundays and Bank Holidays. You can even fly in if you have your own light aircraft. Full visiting information here. All images Matt Brown
