Following the popularity of its themed tours in 2009, Duxford’s Department for Learning
announces a new series of tours for 2010. In addition to the existing tours of AirSpace,
American Air Museum, Land Warfare Hall, Unseen Duxford (showcasing the North Side of
Duxford), and the Grand Tour (encompassing the whole site), there will also be a brand new
tour, Stuff That Goes Bang.
Dates for 2010:
The Land Warfare Hall Tour
The Land Warfare Hall houses one of the finest collections of tanks, military vehicles and
artillery in the country.
Over the course of the twentieth century, the mechanisation of warfare has forever altered
the way battles are fought, won and lost. From the awesome artillery barrages of the First
World War, through the giant tank battles of the Second World War, to the high-speed
mechanised conflict of today, the Land Warfare Hall charts the nature of this change.
The tour will give an introduction to Imperial War Museum Duxford and will look at land
warfare during the First World War, the Second World War and the Cold War era. It will
also look at armed vehicles in service during the Northern Ireland conflict and the Gulf War.
Explore the exhibits during this ninety minute tour and, as the group will not exceed 20
people, there will be plenty of opportunities for questions, debate and personal interaction.
Wednesday 7 April commencing at 11.00am, Wednesday 28 April commencing at 11.00am
and Saturday 8 May commencing at 2.00pm.
The American Air Museum Tour
The American Air Museum is a part of ImperialWar Museum Duxford and stands as a
memorial to the almost 30,000 US airmen who gave their lives while flying from British bases,
including Duxford, during the Second World War.
The Museum houses the largest collection of American military aircraft on display outside the
United States, including a vintage B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator, B-25 Mitchell, P-47
Thunderbolt, and aircraft from the Cold War era such as a B-52 Stratofortress, SR-71
Blackbird and F-4 Phantom, with many suspended from the ceiling as if in flight.
The tour will give an introduction to Imperial War Museum Duxford and will discuss
Duxford’s American connections, through the First World War, Second World War and the
Cold War era and will take an in-depth look at spy planes, examining the only SR-71 Blackbird
on display outside the USA.
Explore the exhibits during this ninety minute tour and, as the group will not exceed 20
people, there will be plenty of opportunities for questions, debate and personal interaction.
Saturday 10 April commencing at 2.00pm, Wednesday 21 April commencing at 11.00am,
Wednesday 5 May commencing at 2.00pm and Wednesday 19 May at 11.00am.
Unseen Duxford – the North Side Tour
The North Side of the Duxford site is not normally seen by the visitor. This tour gives an
opportunity to explore unseen parts of Duxford in the company of a museum guide.
See more of the historic buildings which are part of the domestic side of the Second World
War fighter station and find out more about their role during the war.
Book now for this ninety minute tour and, as the group will not exceed 20 people, there will
be plenty of opportunities for questions, debate and personal interaction.
Saturday 10 April and Wednesday 5 May commencing at 11.00am
The AirSpace Tour
AirSpace tells the story of British and Commonwealth aviation whilst surrounding you with 30
of the most iconic aircraft ever produced, including the fastest-ever Concorde.
Explore the site during this ninety minute tour and, as the group will not exceed 20 people,
there will be plenty of opportunities for questions, debate and personal interaction.
The tour will tell the story of aviation from Percy Pilcher’s Hawk Glider to the latest
Eurofighter Typhoon. The tour will give an introduction to Imperial War Museum Duxford
and a full tour of AirSpace.
Wednesday 14 April and Saturday 8 May commencing at 11.00am.
The Grand Tour
Perfect for the discerning visitor, The Grand Tour will reveal the lesser known stories and
facts about Duxford. The tour will give an introduction to Imperial War Museum Duxford
and will offer a whistle-stop tour of Land Warfare Hall, the American Air Museum, the
Conservation Hangar, the Operations Room, Hangar 4 (The Battle of Britain Hangar) and
AirSpace. It will reveal the human interest stories behind the key exhibits at IWM Duxford
and will give an insight into the working of the Museum.
Groups will not exceed 20 and there will be plenty of opportunities for questions, debate and
personal interaction.
Saturday 24 April and Saturday 22 May commencing at 10.30am.
Stuff That Goes Bang
Stuff That Goes Bang explores the technical innovation that can be seen at IWM Duxford.
Here at Duxford you will see many military aircraft and vehicles, all of which were designed to
do specific jobs. For some of them, their specific job was to cause damage to people or
objects using bullets, cannon shells or bombs. We will be looking at three areas around this
subject:
What are bullets, cannon shells and bombs?
How do they work?
What effects do they have?
The tour will use artefacts from the Museum’s collection to illustrate the talk and help the
visitor better understand the subject.
Wednesday 12 May and Wednesday 26 May commencing at 11.00am.
Places on tours can be booked online at www.iwm.org.uk/duxford or by calling the box office
on 01223 499 353. There is an administration charge for attending the tours of £3.50 (The
Land Warfare Hall Tour, The American Air Museum tour, Unseen Duxford – the Northside
Tour, The AirSpace Tour or Stuff That Goes Bang) and £8.50 (The Grand Tour). This is in
addition to the standard admission prices for museum entry.
