Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire. Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artillery and minor naval vessels in seven main exhibition buildings.
During the Second World War Duxford played a prominent role during the Battle of Britain, and In keeping with the site's history many of Duxford's original buildings, such as hangars used during the Battle of Britain, are still in use.
Imperial War Museum Duxford Map
History
The Imperial War Museum originated during the First World War in 1917 as the National War Museum committee, formed by the British government to record the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire. Although the museum's south London home (a nineteenth-century building in Southwark which was previously the Bethlem Royal Hospital) had been extended in 1966, by the end of the decade the museum was seeking additional space.
RAF Duxford, a Royal Air Force fighter station had been declared surplus to requirements by the Ministry of Defence in 1969, and the museum duly requested permission to use part of one of the airfield's hangars as temporary storage. The museum, through the valuable source of revenue from hosting air shows, the first being in 1973, and its volunteers, the museum applied for the permanent transfer of the entire site to its use. Permission was received in February 1976 and Duxford became the first outstation of the Imperial War Museum.
In 1977 the 6,000ft runway was bought although it had to be shortened by about 1,200ft due to the construction of the M11 motorway.
There are several main hangars at IWM Duxford which house the museums aircraft including 'Airspace' (Hangar 1), 'Flying Aircraft' (Hangar 2), 'Air and Sea' (Hangar 3), 'Battle of Britain Exhibition' (Hangar 4), 'Conservation in Action' (Hangar 5), and the 'American Air Museum'. There is also a '1940's Operations Room' which was the nerve centre of Duxford's Battle of Britain, and a 'Land Warfare Hall' which is full of military vehicles.
Duxford is also home to several private aircraft collections including:- 'The Fighter Collection' which houses its airworthy aircraft in Hangar 2.
Today, IWM Duxford hosts several air shows and flying days each year.
IWM Duxford Address & Travel
Imperial War Museum Duxford
Cambridgeshire
CB22 4QR
Telephone: 01223 835000
Car:
IWM Duxford is south of Cambridge at Junction 10 of the M11 motorway, less than 50 miles from Central London and approximately 40 minutes from the M25 (Junction 27).
IWM Duxford is easily accessible from the A1, A14, M1 and the North, via the M11.
Rail:
The nearest train stations are at:- Whittlesford, Royston or Cambridge. There are taxi ranks at both Royston and Cambridge stations. Whittlesford station is the closest to the museum but does not have a taxi rank. Visit National Rail or First Capital Connect websites for further details on train timetables and prices.
Bus:
On Sundays there is a direct Myalls 132 bus service from Cambridge to IWM Duxford.
How much does it cost?
Admission prices for the IWM Duxford can be found on the official website. There is free parking.
What are the Opening Hours?
Opening Hours for the IWM Duxford can be found on the official website.
For more information then visit the • Imperial War Museum Duxford official website. Accommodation:postcode - CB2 4QR
Museum Aircraft
Imperial War Museum Aircraft:
• Airco DH.9 (D5649)
• Airspeed Oxford I (V3388)
• Avro Anson I (N4877)
• Avro Canada CF-100 Canuck (18393)
• Avro Lancaster X (KB889)
• Avro Shackleton MR.3 (XF708)
• Avro Vulcan B.2 (XJ824)
• BAC Strikemaster (1133)
• BAC TSR.2 (XR222)
• British Aerospace Harrier GR.9 (ZD461)
• Bristol F.2B Fighter (E2581)
• CASA 2.111 (B2I-27)
• De Havilland Sea Vampire T.22 (XG743)
• De Havilland Mosquito TT.35 (TA719)
• De Havilland Sea Venom FAW.21 (XG613)
• De Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.2 (XS576)
• De Havilland Tiger Moth (N6635)
• De Havilland Vampire T.11 (WZ590)
• English Electric Canberra B.2 (WH725)
• English Electric Lightning F.1 (XM135)
• Eurofighter Typhoon (ZH590 / DA4)
• Fairey Gannet ECM.6 (XG797)
• Fairey Swordfish (NF370)
• Fieseler Fi 156
• FMA IA 58 Pucara (A-549)
• Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 (100143)
• Gloster Meteor F.8 (WK991)
• Gloster Javelin FAW.9 (XH897)
• Handley Page Hastings C.1A (TG528)
• Handley Page Victor B.1 (XH648)
• Hawker Hurricane IIB (Z2315)
• Hawker Hunter F.6A (XE627)
• Hawker Sea Hawk FB.5 (WM969)
• Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S.2B (XV865)
• Hawker Siddeley Harrier GR.3 (XZ133)
• McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 (XV474)
• Messerschmitt Bf 109 (1190)
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (501)
• Mil Mi-24 (96+21)
• Miles Magister I (G-AFBS)
• Northrop SD.1 Shelduck (XT581)
• Panavia Tornado GR.1 (ZA465)
• Panavia Tornado GR.4 (ZA469)
• Percival Proctor III (LZ766)
• Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 (F3556)
• SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1A (XX108)
• Short Sunderland MR.5 (ML796)
• Supermarine Spitfire F.24 (VN485)
• Westland Lysander (V9673)
• Westland Lynx AH.7 (XZ194)
• Westland Sea King HAS.6 (XV712)
• Westland Wasp HAS.1 (XS567)
• Westland Wessex HAS.1 (XS863)
• Westland Whirlwind HAS.7 (XK936)
American Air Museum:
• Bell UH-1H Iroquois (72-21605)
• Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress (231983 'Mary Alice')
• Boeing B-52D Stratofortress (56-0689)
• Boeing B-29A Superfortress (44-61748)
• Boeing-Stearman PT-17 (42-17786)
• Consolidated B-24M Liberator (44-50493)
• Douglas C-47A Skytrain (43-15509)
• Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (70259)
• General Dynamics F-111E (67-120)
• Grumman TBM-3E Avenger
• Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird (64-17962)
• Lockheed T-33A (14286)
• Lockheed U-2C (66692)
• McDonnell Douglas F-4J(UK) Phantom (155529)
• McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle (76-020)
• North American B-25J Mitchell (44-31171)
• North American F-100D Super Sabre (42165)
• Republic P-47D Thunderbolt (226413)
• SPAD XIII
• General Atomics MQ-1B Predator (03-33120)
Duxford Aviation Society:
• Airspeed Ambassador 2 (G-ALZO)
• Avro York (G-ANTK)
• BAC One Eleven 500 (G-AVMU)
• BAC Super VC10 (G-ASGC)
• Bristol Britannia 312 (G-AOVT)
• Concorde (G-AXDN)
• de Havilland Comet (G-APDB)
• de Havilland Dove (G-ALFU)
• Handley Page Dart Herald 201 (G-APWJ)
• Handley Page Hermes (G-ALDG)
• Hawker Siddeley Trident 2E (G-AVFB)
• Vickers Viscount 701 (G-ALWF)
• British Aerospace 146 CC2 (ZE701)
Private Collections:
Imperial War Museum Duxford is also home to several private aircraft collections:
