Avro Heritage Museum

About the museum

Woodford Aerodrome near Stockport was where the Avro company, founded by Alliott Verdon-Roe, built aircraft such as the Lancaster, the Vulcan and the Nimrod, and later the BAe 146. A small Avro Heritage Centre first opened in rooms in the personnel block, but it could be visited only by appointment on two days a week.

When BAE Systems sold the aerodrome for redevelopment, the sale included funding to convert the former airfield fire station into a purpose-built museum. The Avro Heritage Museum opened there on 13 November 2015. The building is about 70 per cent larger than the old centre and has an exhibition hall, a gallery, a café, reading rooms and classrooms.

The museum is run by the Avro Heritage Trust, a charity staffed by volunteers, and looks after more than 30,000 artefacts. Outside stands Avro Vulcan XM603, which the museum describes as the only all-white Vulcan bomber. Visitors can climb into several cockpits, including those of a Vulcan, a Nimrod, a Vickers VC10 and a replica Lancaster, and try interactive exhibits such as a flight simulator and a virtual-reality bombing raid. The museum also takes group tours and youth and school visits by prior booking.

Highlights

• Avro Vulcan bomber XM603 in its all-white scheme
• Cockpit tours of the Vulcan, Nimrod, VC10 and a Lancaster replica
• Flight and motion simulators and a virtual-reality WWII raid
• Exhibition hall on Avro history from early flight to the nuclear age
• Vulcan Café with views of the aircraft

Permanent exhibition

• Avro history and aircraft – Displays on the Avro company and its aircraft from early flight to the nuclear age, with the Vulcan bomber and several walk-in cockpits.

Founded

2015

Operated by

Avro Heritage Trust

Admission & discounts

Prices shown are without Gift Aid; Gift Aid adds 10 per cent. Museum Friends enter free. Cockpit tours cannot be booked in advance. Carers pay for any cockpit tours they take.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is fully accessible by wheelchair apart from the cockpits, which are reached by steps; 360-degree screens outside the Vulcan and Lancaster cockpits show the flight deck. Accessible toilets and baby changing are on both floors, and a lift serves the upper floor and the café. A hearing loop is installed. Two manual wheelchairs and an adult walker can be borrowed free of charge. Registered assistance dogs are welcome. There are six disabled parking spaces.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities

Children under 11 enter free and there is a family ticket. Interactive exhibits include a flight simulator, a Typhoon motion simulator, a virtual-reality WWII raid and a Nimrod submarine-hunting station. Baby changing is on both floors.

Getting there & parking

The postcode SK7 1AG may not lead directly to the museum; the museum suggests SK7 1SA (the Aviator pub) and then following the brown signs. The museum is on a large construction site, so care is needed on foot or by bike.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Vulcan Café serves light refreshments with views of the Vulcan. The museum has a shop that gives Friends a discount.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit